DHAKA: The High Court has stayed for six months the proceedings of the sedition case filed against BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia following her comment over the number of martyrs in the 1971 Liberation War.

An HC bench comprising Justices Miftah Uddin Choudhury and ANM Bashir Ullah passed the order on Wednesday (March 28). 

Earlier on March 28, a Dhaka court asked the BNP chief to appear before it on April 10 for hearing of framing charges on Khaleda Zia’s 11 cases, including the sedition case.

On January 25 in 2016, former secretary of the Supreme Court Bar Association Dr Momtaz Uddin Ahmed Mehdi filed the sedition case with the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court. The court on that day summoned Khaleda Zia in the case.

Earlier on December 21 in 2015, Khaleda Zia at a rally of freedom fighters commented that there is a controversy regarding the number of martyrs of the Bangladesh War of Liberation.

On December 23, Dr Momtaz Uddin Ahmed Mehdi sent a legal notice to withdraw her comment mentioning her mentality of ‘sedition’. 

The lawyer later sought home ministry’s approval as he did not get any reply of the notice. The home ministry had given approval in this regard. 

BDST: 1635 HRS, MAR 29, 2017
EHJ/AP/SMS