Court Correspondent :
Fourteen more cases filed against BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia have been shifted to the makeshift court set up at Alia Madrasah ground of Bakshibazar area in the city.
The Law and Justice Division of the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs issued three gazette notifications about the shifting of the cases for the trial.
The trial of Zia Orphanage Trust and Zia Charitable Trust graft cases filed against Khaleda Zia have been going on the same makeshift court.
Talking to reporters at the Secretariat, Law Minister Anisul Huq said the cases against Khaleda Zia have been shifted to one area considering the security concern and not for any political reason. Earlier, the same division of the ministry issued the same kind of gazette notification for the trial of the Zia Orphanage Trust and Zia Charitable Trust graft cases considering the security reasons.
Of the 14 cases, three are Gatco, Niko and Boropukuria Coalmine graft cases filed during the army-backed caretaker government, nine arson cases filed during the anti-government demonstration conducted by the BNP-led-20 party alliance with Jatrabari and Darussalam police stations. All the nine cases are now pending with the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court.
But, trial proceedings of most of the arson cases were earlier stayed by the High Court Division following writ petitions challenging the legality of the order for taking cognizance of the charges on different dates, said Khaleda Zia’s lawyers Zainul Abedin Meshba. The remaining two are defamation cases filed against the BNP Chief.
