Prosecutors say Pecker's actions helped Trump deceive voters in the 2016 election
SC upholds Khaleda’s bail in defamation cases in Dhaka and Narail
The Supreme Court has upheld a High Court order granting BNP chief Khaleda Zia six-month bail in the defamation cases filed in Dhaka and Narail over her “derogatory” comments on the number of Liberation War martyrs.
Published : 1 Oct 2018, 06:24 AM
Updated : 1 Oct 2018, 06:24 AM
A three-member Appellate Division bench, led by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, rejected the government’s petitions seeking a freeze on the High Court’s order on Monday.
Attorney General Mahbubey Alam represented the state during the hearing while the BNP chief was represented by lawyers AJ Mohammad Ali, Zainul Abedin, and Kaiser Kamal.
According to the latest decision, the bail order issued by the High Court will be maintained, lawyer Zainul Adedin told reporters after the hearing.
“Both of the cases are bailable. The High Court also granted the bail. But the government filed the petitions to keep Khaleda Zia in jail for political purposes. As both of the cases are bailable, it is a crime not to grant her bail.”
The High Court granted six-month bail to Khaleda in the defamation case filed in Narail on Aug 13. She received bail on similar charges filed in Dhaka on Aug 14.
The government had filed the petitions with the Supreme Court seeking a freeze on HC bail orders.
The chamber judge transferred the petitions to the Appellate Division for a hearing. The top court rejected the petitions after the hearing on Monday.
The former prime minister has been serving a five-year jail term since Feb 8 in the Zia Orphanage Trust case, and was named as an arrestee in other cases.
Khaleda at a discussion in Dhaka in 2015 raised questions about the actual number of Liberation War martyrs, saying, “There're controversies over how many were martyred in the Liberation War. There're also many books and documents on the controversies.”
Reacting to Khaleda's remarks, Raihan Farooque Imam of Naragati filed a case in Narail in the same year.
Besides, President of pro-Awami League organisation Jananetri Parishad AB Siddique filed another defamation case against Khaleda with a Dhaka court in 2016.
RELATED STORIES
Modi, who is seeking a rare third consecutive term, referred to Muslims as "infiltrators" during a campaign speech on Sunday, drawing widespread criticism from opposition groups
He seeks a rare third term on the back of issues such as growth, welfare and Hindu nationalism
The JaSaD leader died at a Dhaka hospital on Friday morning, his family said
