UNB, Dhaka :A third bench of the High Court will now hear on Wednesday two writ petitions filed by BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia challenging the legality of the appointment of a special judge who framed charges against her in the Zia Charitable Trust and Zia Orphanage Trust graft cases.The HC single-judge bench of Justice Dr Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque deferred the hearing on Monday following a time petition filed by the defence.Former Attorney General AJ Mohammad Ali, Supreme Court Bar Association president Khandaker MahbubHossain and its general secretary Mahbub Uddin Khokan appeared for Khaleda, while Attorney General Mahbubey Alam represented the state.Khokan told reporters that they are yet to get the certified copy of the split verdicts delivered by a joint HC bench. “So, the court ordered for giving the certified copy within 24 hours and deferred the hearing to June 18.”On May 25, the High Court delivered dissenting verdicts on the two writ petitions filed by the BNP chief.While the senior judge of the HC bench Justice Farah Mahbub stayed the proceedings of the two cases for three months, junior judge Justice Kazi Md Ejarul Haque Akondo outright rejected the petitions.The senior judge also issued a rule upon the government to explain as to why the appointment of special Judge Basudev Roy who framed charges in the two graft cases should not be declared illegal.Later, the two petitions were sent to Chief Justice M Muzammel Hossain who assigned the third bench on Thursday for hearing those.On May 12, Khaleda’s counsel Mohammad Asaduzzaman filed the writs on her behalf challenging the legality of the appointment of special Judge Basudev Roy who framed charges in the two graft cases.The writs also sought a stay order on the further trial proceedings of the two graft cases.The writs said as per the section 3 of the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 1958, a gazette notification has to be issued on the appointment of a judge to a special court.However, no gazette was issued on the appointment of special judge Basudev Roy who framed charges in the two cases, these said, adding that so, the holding of the trial proceedings by the judge was not lawful.On March 19, Judge Basudev Roy of the Dhaka’s Special Judge Court-3 framed charges against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, her son Tarique Rahman and seven others rejecting their time petition in the Zia Charitable Trust and Zia Orphanage Trust graft cases.
