Dhaka – The High Court (HC) Division of the Supreme Courat on Wednesday stayed the proceedings of the sedition case filed against BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia for next six months.The court issued a rule upon the Government and the plaintiff of the case to explain in four weeks as to why the trial court order of taking cognizance of the case should not be scrapped.
The HC bench of Justice Md Miftah Uddin Choudhury and Justice ANM Bashir Ullah passed the order and issued the rule after hearing on a petition filed by Khaleda Zia challenging the trial proceedings of the case.
Earlier on January 5, the BNP leader filed a petition seeking to the HC to stay the proceedings of the case, which was lodged for her comments on the number of martyrs in the Liberation War of 1971.
According to the case statement, complainant Momtaz Uuddin Ahmed Mehedi alleged, Khaleda Zia on December 21, 2015 at a programme organised by Jatiyatabadi Muktijoddha Dal marking the 45th Victory Day said “there are controversies over how many were martyred in the Liberation War.”
Later, the news was published in different newspapers the following day which hurt the complainant and it was allegedly tantamount to sedition.
A Dhaka court on August 10, last year, accepted the charges against Khaleda Zia in the case. – Special Correspondent
