29 March 2024

Court chaos irks CJ; ‘Everything has its limit’, he says

Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain -

Apparently angered by the chaos created by the lawyers of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia at the Supreme Court, Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain on Thursday said everything has its limit, reports UNB.

“We never saw such a situation in the Appellate Division in the past,” he said while hearing a bail petition filed by the BNP chief.

The judicial activities at the Appellate Division remained halted for three hours on Thursday morning amid chaos by pro-BNP lawyers demanding that hearing on the bail petition of the BNP chief in Zia Charitable Trust graft case be held on Thursday.

The pro-BNP lawyers started demonstrations when the Appellate Division deferred the hearing until December 12 as the medical team failed to submit its report on Khaleda’s health.

Protesting the deferment of the hearing, some 200 pro-BNP lawyers entered the courtroom around 10:30am and created a chaotic situation, forcing judges of the six-member Appellate Division bench to leave the courtroom ahead of the regular break.

After a regular break, when the judges of the Appellate Division bench returned to the courtroom again 11 am, the BNP lawyers started shouting again, disrupting the court activities.

The lawyers took position at the courtroom and chanted slogan, ”We want justice”, which continued till 12:45 pm.

Khaleda’s lawyer Zainul Abedin blamed Attorney General Mahbubey Alam for the situation.

However, the attorney general demanded that action be taken against those created the chaos.

The six-member Appellate Division bench issued the order following a petition seeking time.

It asked for submitting two reports by December 12 unfailingly.

Khaleda had moved the apex court on November 14 challenging a High Court order that had turned down her bail petition in the Zia Charitable Trust corruption case.

The High Court on September 11 rejected Khaleda’s bail petition in the case. Her bail petitions were turned down twice earlier on July 31 and September 3.

On August 8, 2011, the Anti-Corruption Commission filed the Zia Charitable Trust case with Tejgaon police against four people, including Khaleda. They were accused of abusing power in raising funds for the trust from unknown sources.

A special court jailed the BNP chief and three others for seven years in the corruption case on October 29 last year. Khaleda later moved the High Court.

The former prime minister has been in prison since February 8 last year after she was sentenced to jail for five years in a separate corruption case.

Khaleda Zia is currently being treated at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University.


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