Lawyers protest Khaleda Zia's poor lunch menu in court

It was literally a storm in a tea cup at the court of Dhaka's Third Special Judge Abu Ahmad Jamadar when Khaleda Zia's lawyers raised a hue and cry protesting against what they called 'inhumane treatment' of their client.

Prokash Biswas, Court Correspondent Court Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 5 Jan 2017, 05:18 PM
Updated : 5 Jan 2017, 05:18 PM

On Thursday, BNP chief Khaleda Zia appeared before the court to conclude her statement in her defence in the Zia Charitable Trust graft case. The defence side was also scheduled to start argument in Zia Orphanage Trust graft case. 

When the court recessed for lunch, Khaleda finished her lunch with tea and biscuits at the waiting room of the court.

Senior leaders of the BNP including Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Mirza Abbas and Ruhul Kabir Rizvi took bread, banana and singara as their lunch outside the courtroom.  

When the court resumed after lunch, BNP sympathising lawyers raised issue before the court and said that their 'ailing' client, Khaleda Zia, could not have a proper lunch, medications or even could not say her noon prayers.

It created a noisy scene at the court room. At one stage, BNP-lenient lawyer Hossain Ali Khan Hassan began to bang the table.

The government side argued that the judge had given time for lunch and Khaleda Zia did have her lunch in front of everyone. They said there was nothing to say about it.

Khaleda Zia's lawyer Barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokon, addressing the judge, protested against what he termed as 'inhumane treatment' of Khaleda Zia.

"You cannot do this", he told the judge.

The judge then asked lawyers what they (pro-BNP lawyers) wanted to mean by banging the table.

He asked the lawyer concerned to seek an apology or face court action.

The situation returned to normal with the intervention of other senior BNP lawyers, while the lawyer who thumped the table expressed regret for his conduct and apologised.

After the hearing, the court approved recording the testimony of the first witness in the orphanage graft case and fixed Jan 12 as the date for this.

The court also set Jan 12 to conclude the recording of Khaleda's statement.