Court Correspondent :
The Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court of Dhaka yesterday (Sunday) rejected a bail petition of former Minister Abdul Latif Siddiqui in a case filed against him for hurting religious sentiments of the Muslims.
Magistrate Asaduzzman Nur passed the order and also fixed March 15 for hearing on framing charges against Siddiqui in the morning. Earlier, his lawyer filed the bail petition.
On November 26, a Dhaka court sent Latif Siddiqui to jail after he surrendered to Dhanmondi Model Police Station, two months after his critical comments about the holy Hajj, Tablighi Jamaat and Prime Minister’s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy. Latif made the impugned remarks on September 28 while addressing a programme in New York of the United States. The government sacked him from the cabinet on October 12. He was also removed from the Awami League’s Presidium body.
Multiple warrants for his arrest were issued as he did not follow the summons of different courts of the country. Seventy-seven year old freedom fighter Latif Siddiqui was abroad when these developments took place. He went to the USA with the incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and then stayed in India before his sudden return to the country on November 23 night.
