Fakhrul’s bail hearing in nine cases on 9 January

A Dhaka court has set 9 January for holding a hearing on petitions seeking bail in nine cases against BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

In another development, eight opposition leaders, including BNP Joint Secretary General Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal, have been jailed in a 10-year-old sabotage case.

On 31 December, Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Rezaul Karim Chowdhury set the date for Fakhrul's hearing hours after his lawyer Syed Zainul Abedin Mesbah filed a petition.

The defence lawyer told the media that the date for the bail hearing was set in the presence of the accused.

Previously, on 13 December, Fakhrul's lawyer applied for bail in nine cases in which he was not shown arrested, though his name was included in the case statements.

However, when the applications were presented to the court for hearing, the judicial court said it has no jurisdiction to hear the bail application until the investigation officer shows him arrested. The court advised taking the matter to the High Court in this regard.

Then, on 17 December, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir filed a writ in the High Court challenging the validity of the non-acceptance of bail applications in the nine cases.

Later on 18 December, the High Court ordered the judicial court to hear the bail petitions in nine cases against the BNP secretary general, for which he has not been shown arrested yet.

At the same time, the court issued a ruling asking why non-acceptance of the bail pleas should not be declared illegal.

On 29 October morning, police first detained Mirza Fakhrul from his Gulshan residence after deadly clashes rocked parts of Dhaka the previous day.

Opposition leaders jailed 

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Jasim yesterday sentenced BNP leader Alal and seven other opposition leaders to three years in jail in a sabotage case filed in 2013.

The other convicts are Jubo Dal's former president Saiful Islam Nirob, Jamaat's Dhaka Metropolitan (south) secretary Shafiqul Islam Masud, former Chhatra Dal president Abdul Kader Bhuiyan Jewel, BNP leaders Harun-or-Rashid, Obaidul Haque, Shahidul Islam Hira and Md Ibrahim.

The court also fined them Tk10,000 each. They will have to spend two months more behind bars if they fail to pay the fine.

According to the case statement, a bus was set on fire on Sat Masjid Road in Dhaka's Dhanmondi on 1 December 2013.

Abdullah Al Mamun, sub-inspector of Dhanmondi Police Station, filed a case over the incident. After an investigation, police submitted a charge sheet against them on 15 December 2014.

Stand against murderers and corruption: Rizvi

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has called on the countrymen to take a stand against the "murderers and corrupt" and boycott one-sided elections.

"The Awami League leaders have plundered the wealth of the country's people and laundered money. They have built a heaven with the looted wealth, which they do not want to lose," Rizvi said after distributing leaflets as part of its non-cooperative movement in the Malibagh kitchen market area yesterday morning.