SC asks HC to dispose of defence petitions

The Supreme Court yesterday asked the High Court to hear and finish adjudicating in two months the pending petitions filed by former speaker Jamiruddin Sircar challenging five corruption cases against him.
The Anti-Corruption Commission filed the cases against Jamiruddin on December 28, 2010 on charges of misappropriating public funds in the name of treatment abroad, moving furniture from government houses, and payment of gas and electricity bills. He was also charged with misusing power during the then BNP-led four-party alliance rule.
After Jamiruddin filed the petitions, the HC in June last year stayed the case proceedings and issued separate rules upon the ACC and the government to explain why the proceedings should not be scrapped.
In response, the ACC last December submitted five petitions to the SC seeking stay on the HC orders.
After hearing the commission's petitions yesterday, the SC asked the HC to dispose of the rules in two months.