Deadline over, Jamaat leader yet to pay fine

Jamaat-e-Islami leader Selim Uddin, who has been convicted for contempt of court, did not pay the fine even after the end of deadline on Saturday.
Both the prosecution and Selim's lawyer yesterday told The Daily Star that he had to serve simple imprisonment for two weeks as per the verdict.
The International Crimes Tribunal-2 on June 9 sentenced three Jamaat leaders including Selim for contempt of court as the trio has earlier made provocative and derogatory remarks about the court and the ongoing war crimes trial.
The tribunal sentenced Selim, arrested assistant secretary general of Jamaat's Dhaka city unit, to simple imprisonment until the court ended its session for that day and fined him Tk 1,000.
“Absconding” Jamaat leaders Hamidur Rahman Azad, MP, and Rafiqul Islam Khan were sentenced to three months' imprisonment and a fine of Tk 3,000 each.
As per the verdict, the Jamaat leaders had to pay the fine through 'chalaan' within seven days from the date of delivering the verdict. If they failed to do so, they would have to serve two more weeks in jail.
They were asked to inform the court through its registrar about the compliance, the verdict says.
Registrar AKM Nasiruddin Mahmud told The Daily Star yesterday that he did not receive any compliance report from either Selim or his lawyer.
Prosecutor Rana Dasgupta said as Selim did not pay his fine within the stipulated time, he would have to serve two more weeks in jail.
Selim's lawyer Tajul Islam told The Daily Star that his client did not pay the fine because he was already behind bars.
Even if he paid the money, he would have to be in jail as he had been in jail in connection with another case, he said, adding, that was why he did not pay the fine.
After the verdict, Tajul said they would file a writ petition with the High Court challenging the judgement since there was no provision for an appeal regarding the matter.
“The matter [filing writ] is still in our consideration,” he said yesterday.
The sentence of Rafiqul, Jamaat acting secretary general, and Azad, Jamaat lawmaker from Cox's Bazar, will begin from the date of their arrest or surrender before the tribunal.