SC upholds HC bail of Khaleda Zia

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Monday upheld six-month bail granted to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia by the High Court in two defamation cases filed against her in Narail and Dhaka over her ‘derogatory remarks’ about freedom fighters and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, reports UNB.

A three-member Appellate Division bench, led by chief justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, passed the order rejecting petitions filed seeking stay on the bail orders.

Advocate AJ Mohammad Ali stood for Khaleda while Attorney General Mahbubey Alam for the state.

The High Court granted a six-month bail to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in defamation cases filed against her in Narail and Dhaka on 13 and 14 August respectively.

On 21 December 2015, Khaleda Zia at a discussion at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh here raised a question about the actual number of Liberation War martyrs saying, “There are controversies over how many were martyred in the Liberation War. There’re many books and documents on the controversies.”

Reacting to Khaleda’s remarks, Raihan Farooque Imam of Naragati in Narail filed the case with the Cognisance Court on 24 December 2015.

On 5 January 2016, AB Siddiqui, president of Jananetri Parishad, filed the case with Dhaka’s chief metropolitan magistrate court.