BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia on Tuesday was granted bail in five cases after she had appeared to several courts with bail pleas. Of the courts, one allowed her exemption from appearing to it in person.
The courts pronounced the decisions considering her age, health and social status. She appeared to the courts in phases from 10:45 am and left the court area at about 1:20 pm.The cases include Jatrabari arson attack, bomb attack on a procession of Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan, a sedition case filed about raising questions about the number of martyred in the War of Liberation and another case for petrol bomb attack on a passenger bus in city’s Jatrabari area.
Earlier, two judge courts of Dhaka granted bail to Khaleda Zia in GATCO scam case and petrol bomb attack case.
Meanwhile, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP, Media) Deputy Commissioner (DC) Maruf Hossain Sardar said DMP had beefed up security in the capital from Gulistan to Sadarghat area in this connection.
Magistrate Md Jakir Hossain Tipu granted Khaleda Zia bail after she surrendered to his court at noon. In this case, she was charged for raising question about the actual number of martyrs on December 21, 2015. Momtaz Mehedi, also a former secretary of Supreme Court Bar Association lodged the case against Khaleda with necessary permission of the Government.
Dhaka’s Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md Kamrul Hossain Molla granted bail to the BNP Chief in Jatrabari arson attack cases. Besides, her adviser Khandaker Maahbu Hossain also secured bail in the same case.
On January 23, last year, at least 28 people allegedly suffered burn injuries after miscreants hurled two petrol bombs at a passenger bus in Jatrabari area in the city during the BNP-led 20-party alliance’s blockade programme. Of the injured, Nur Alam, 60, died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital on February 1.
SI KM Nuruzzaman of Jatrabari Police Station filed two cases- one for killing and the other for hurling petrol bombs under the Special Powers Act on Januaary 24, making Khaleda Zia the mastermind of the incident.
Meanwhile, Magistrate Mohammad Rashed Talukder granted her bail in another case filed over the incident.
Besides, Judge Abu Ahmed Jamader of Dhaka’ss Special Judge Court-3 granted the BNP leader bail in the Gatco graft case on Tuesday morning. On February 15, the High Court asked Khaleda Zia to surrender to the trial court within two months after th4 full verdict reaches the court. On Septembesr 2, 2007, the ACC filed the case with Tejgaon Model Police Station against Khaleda Zia and her late son Arafat Rahman Koko with some of her the then cabinet colleagues. The case was filed for graft in awarding Gatco the contract for container handling at depots in Dhaka and Chitagong, causing a loss of over Tk 14 crore to the national exchequer. – Special Correspondent
