Staff Reporter :
BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia on Monday secured bail for six months from the High Court in two criminal cases filed in Cumilla. But she was denied bail in another case of Narail.
The High Court bench of Justice A K M Asaduzzaman and Justice J B M Hassan passed the order after concluding the hearing on the petitions.
Meanwhile, hours after she secured the bail, the government filed separate appeals with the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the High Court’s order.
Chamber Judge of the Appellate Division Justice Hasan Foez Siddique fixed Tuesday for hearing the petitions, Deputy Attorney General Ekramul Haque told the reporters.
Among the three cases, two were filed in Cumilla on charges of vandalising vehicles on January 25, 2015, killing seven persons and injuring 25-26 others by setting fire to a passenger bus in Chauddagram on February 2, 2015.
The third one was filed by one Raihan Faruki Imam with a Narail court on September 24, 2015, against Khaleda for making a statement about the number of freedom fighters and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
The High Court denied bail in the case saying that “the petition was not properly moved”.
Advocate Khandker Mahbub Hossain, Advocate A J Mohammad Ali, Advocate Zainul Abedin and Barrister A M Mahbub Uddin Khokan took part in the hearing on behalf of Khaleda Zia, while Attorney General Mahbubey Alam stood for the State.
Barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokan said, however, “Khaleda Zia was shown arrested in two cases of Cumilla and in Zia Charitable Trust case. She got bails in all the three cases. So, now there is no legal bar for her to get release from jail.”
Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said, “The High Court granted six months bail to Khaleda Zia in two Cumilla cases filed on charges of vandalising vehicles and killing seven persons and injuring 25-26 others by setting fire to a passenger bus. And the defendant omitted the third petition as ‘not press rejected.”
The AG said that it was not a proper decision to give her bail in two cases while the trial proceedings continues in the lower courts. “However, the High Court granted her bail. We are trying to file appeal petitions against the High Court order. Petitions are ready,” AG said after the High Court order.
On May 20, Khaleda’s lawyer M Masud Rana filed the petitions with the consent of the BNP chief.
Earlier, on May 16, the SC upheld a HC order that granted bail to Khaleda for four months in Zia Orphanage Trust case in which she was sentenced to five years imprisonment.
But, she is still in the jail as she has been shown arrested in seven other cases including the three.
According to media reports, the BNP chairperson is now facing a total of 36 cases.
