11 criminal cases: Khaleda faces indictment if not appear on Mar 28

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia will be indicted in a sedition and 10 other criminal cases if she doesn’t appear before two Dhaka courts on March 28.

Metropolitan Sessions Judge Kamrul Hossain Mollah passed the order today as Khaleda did not appear before two courts which were scheduled to hold hearing in the 11 cases.

Khaleda will not appear before the courts today due to her illness, her lawyer Sanaullah Mia told The Daily Star before the court started today’s proceedings.

Sanaullah Mia, however, told journalists yesterday that Khaleda would appear before the courts today.

Earlier, Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court of Dhaka and Special Judge Court-9 and Special Judge Court-9 asked Khaleda to appear before the courts in connection with the 11 cases.

The former prime minister, accused in 25 cases, appeared before different Dhaka courts on August 10 last year and secured bails in the cases. She later skipped court proceedings, citing different reasons.

Of the 11 cases, nine were filed with Jatrabari and Darussalam police stations in the first three months of 2015 in connection with arson attacks on vehicles. The Niko graft case was lodged with Tejgaon Police Station in 2007 while the other was filed with a Dhaka court for making seditious comments about freedom fighters and Liberation War martyrs.

Police in May and June last year pressed charges in nine cases against Khaleda and more than 80 leaders and activists of the BNP-led 20-party alliance for arson attacks on buses during the three-month movement by the combine in 2015.

Earlier, the Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court on several occasions warned Khaleda of issuing arrest warrant against her if she failed to appear before it.

On Sunday, the Supreme Court cleared the way for a lower court to continue her trial in the Zia Charitable Trust graft case.

The High Court last week transferred the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case against Khaleda to Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge's Court, and asked it to complete the trial within 60 days after receiving the order.