Trial process in 2 arson cases against Khaleda stayed

Staff Correspondent: The High Court (HC) stayed the trial proceedings of two arson cases filed against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.

The court also issued two separate rulings asking the government to explain why the proceedings of the cases against Khaleda would not be scrapped.

The HC bench comprising Justice Miftah Uddin Chowdhury and Justice ANM Bashir Ullah passed the orders and rules on Sunday after hearing two separate petitions filed by BNP chief challenging the trial proceedings of the cases.

Advocate AJ Mohammad Ali, Barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokon and Barrister Kaiser Kamal stood for Khaleda while Deputy Attorney General Shaikh AKM Moniruzzaman Kabir represented the State in the court during the hearing.

Deputy Attorney General Shaikh AKM Moniruzzaman Kabir told risingbd.com that the government will move with an appeal to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the HC order.

Earlier on April 4, Khaleda Zia filed two separate petitions with the High Court seeking a stay on the trial proceedings against her in two arson cases through her lawyers challenging the lower court orders that accepted the charges.

In the petitions, she said her name was not included in the first information report (FIR) of the cases as she was confined during the incident.

Police filed the cases with Darussalam Police Station on February 10 and 20 in 2015, on charge of setting fire to vehicles during the anti-government movement.

Police submitted charge sheets of the cases on May 12 and 14 last year to the trial court implicating Khaleda along with other accused.

risingbd/DHAKA/Apr 9, 2017/Mehedi/Amirul