Court refuses to hear Fakhrul’s bail petitions

A Dhaka court today refused to hear the bail petitions of BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir in 10 cases filed over political violence, stating that it lacked jurisdiction to pass any order since the investigation officers did not formally arrest him in these cases.

The court of Metropolitan Magistrates Rajesh Chowdhury and Md Shafiuddin recommended that the defendant approach the High Court for further consideration.

The court also refused to hear the bail petitions of BNP Standing Committee Member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury and the party's media cell convener Zahir Uddin Swapan for the same reason.

The BNP leaders' lawyer, Syed Joinul Abedin Mesbah, told the media bail petitions were filed in court on 10 cases against Fakhrul, nine against Amir Khasru and six against Zahir Uddin Swapan.

He mentioned that the BNP leaders have not been arrested in those cases.

"We fear that if the High Court grants them bail, the state might seek arrest warrants in these cases to prolong their imprisonment. That is why we applied for bail. However, the court stated that, at this stage, it does not have jurisdiction on hearing the pleas and issuing orders," said the lawyer.

"We will now move the High Court," he added.

1,117 BNP members sentenced in 72 cases

On Wednesday, three separate courts in Dhaka delivered judgments on six cases of sabotage reported in various police stations across the capital. 

In five of these cases, the court handed down sentences to 109 BNP leaders and activists. However, in the case filed with the Hazaribagh police station, all the defendants were acquitted.

As of now, a total of 1,117 BNP leaders and activists have been sentenced in 72 cases, including the six cases, in the past three and a half months.

In a 2018 case at Dhanmondi police station, 22 leaders and activists, including Sheikh Rabiul Alam Ravi, a member of the BNP National Executive Committee, were sentenced to three years of rigorous imprisonment. The court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Mehdi Hasan pronounced the verdict. 

BNP seeks permission for 16 Dec rally

A delegation of the BNP went to the DMP commissioner's office at 4:00pm yesterday to seek permission to hold a rally on the occasion of Victory Day on 16 December.

The delegation included the party's Vice Chairman Nitai Roy Chowdhury and Publicity Secretary of Jatiyabadi Ainjibi Forum Advocate Mahbubur Rahman Khan.

BNP Legal Affairs Secretary Barrister Kaiser Kamal Khan confirmed the matter to The Business Standard.