HC drops writ on Khaleda’s court shift from cause list

Staff Correspondent: The High Court (HC) has dropped the writ petition filed by BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia challenging the legality of shifting court to Keraniganj central jail.

The bench of Justice Moinul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Md Ashraful Kamal came up with the order on Sunday.

Senior lawyer AJ Mohammad Ali and Barrister Kayser Kamal moved for Khaleda while lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan represented the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in the court.

In hearing, ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan said, “The case is related to graft. There is specific bench for this.

In reply, Khaleda’s lawyer AJ Mohammad Ali said, “Though ACC is complainant in the case, it is not a case related to corruption. The Ministry of Law issued circulation to shift the court illegally. We challenge that.”

Later, the writ was dropped from the cause list.

Meanwhile, Khaleda’s lawyer Kayser Kamal said, “The writ petition will be presented to another bench for hearing.”

Niko graft case was running at the makeshift court in the Old Dhaka’s Nazim Uddin road central jail. On May 12, the Ministry of Law issued a circular to shift it to special court set up in front of the Keraniganj central jail. On May 26, a writ petition challenging its legality was filed.

On December 9, 2007, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the Niko graft case with Tejgaon Police Station accusing Khaleda and 10 others of abusing power to award a gas exploration and extraction deal to Canadian company Niko during her tenure as the prime minister.

risingbd/Dhaka/June 23, 2019/Mahidi/AKA