Staff Reporter :
The High Court on Sunday directed the concerned bodies of the government to submit in 60 days all the documents related to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s date of birth.
All the boards of intermediate and secondary education, foreign secretary, election commission secretary, director general of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), director general of the Department of Immigration and Passports have been asked to comply with the direction.
The High Court Bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman passed the order after holding hearing on a writ petition filed in this regard.
The court also issued a ruling asking the respondents to explain as to why their inaction to prosecute Khaleda Zia under relevant law for celebrating her birthday on different dates deliberately to malign and undermine the solemnity of National Mourning Day on August 15 should not be declared illegal.
Secretaries to the ministries of home affairs and health and family planning, inspector general of police, commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police and officer-in-charge of Gulshan Police Station have made respondents to the rule.
Advocate Nahid Sultana Juthi appeared in the court on behalf of the writ petitioner, while Deputy Attorney General Bipul Bagmar represented the State. Barrister AM Mahbub Uddin Khokan took part also in the hearing.
During the deliberation of the order on the writ petition, Barrister Khokan said that the petition was not maintainable as it had been submitted with political intention.
Then the Presiding Judge of the Bench Justice M Enayetur Rahim said we would see this during the rule hearing.
Supreme Court lawyer Mamun Or Rashid filed the writ petition on May 31 this year challenging the legality of celebrating birthday by Khaleda Zia on August 15.
The petitioner said that it was unfortunate for the nation that Khaleda Zia mentioned and used her date of birth on August 15, 1946 in the current passport with an ulterior motive to malign the National Mourning Day when the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was brutally killed with his family members in 1975.
It was also mentioned in the petition that Khaleda Zia’s date of birth is September 5, 1946 according to her SSC certificate; August 9, 1944 according to her marriage registration certificate; August 5, 1946 according to her machine-readable passport; and May 8, 1946 according to her Covid-19 test report.
Barrister Khokan said the writ petition has been filed in order to achieve political gains. Thousands of people including Khaleda Zia were born on August 15, he said, adding it is not the work of the HC to deal with such a matter involving a birthday.
