DHAKA: A Dhaka court on Tuesday (March 28) adjourned till April 10 the hearing of framing charges on BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia’s 11 cases, including a sedition case.

The court of Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Kamrul Hossain Mollah passed the order after Khaleda Zia’s counsels submitted separate time petitions.

The BNP chief was earlier asked to appear before the court on Tuesday. But she skipped the trial proceedings of the 11 cases due to her ‘health problem’. Her counsels in the petitions mentioned that the BNP chief could not appear before the court because of illness

Of the 11 cases, the sedition case was filed for her remarks about the number of martyrs during the Bangladesh War of Liberation in 1971. Former secretary of Supreme Court Bar Association Dr Momtaz Uddin Ahmed Mehdi filed case in a Dhaka court.

Eight cases were filed with Darus Salam police station in the city and two others with Jatrabari police station in connection with arson attacks on vehicles in 2015.

Khaleda Zia was granted bail in the 11 cases after she surrendered before court on April 5 in 2016.

Besides Khaleda Zia, some other accused in the cases are-- BNP standing committee member MK Anwar, chairperson’s advisers Advocate Khandker Mahbub Hossain and Shaukat Mahmud, senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed, joint secretary general Habib-un-Nabi Khan Sohel, BNP leaders Aman Ullah Aman and Barkat Ullah Bulu, chairperson’s press secretary Maruf Kamal Khan Sohel and special assistant Shamdur Rahman Shimul Biswas.    

BDST: 1947 HRS, MAR 28, 2017
EHJ/SMS