Indictment hearing in sedition case against ex-PM Hasina, 285 others deferred

On Monday, Judge Abdus Salam of Dhaka Special Judge’s Court-9 set Jan 21 as the new date for the hearing, reports bdnews24.com.

Among the accused in the case, 26 are currently in jail. Of them, 25, including former lawmaker Sabina Akter Tuhin, were produced before the court on Monday for the charge-framing hearing.

However, one accused, AKM Aktaruzzaman, was not produced before the court. As a result, the judge postponed the hearing, said defence lawyer Morshed Hossain Shaheen.

Another accused, Al Maruf, was shown arrested in the case on the same day, bringing the total number of arrests to 27.

Those named as accused include Khulna Jubo League leader Parvez Khan Iman, Chattogram “Joy Bangla Brigade” chief Kabirul Islam Akash, Joy Bangla Brigade Barishal Division’s Advocate Kamrul Islam, Sohana Parveen Runa, Hafizur Rahman Iqbal, Advocate Mahbubur Rahman Madhu, Elahi Newaz Masum and Sazzadul Anam.

Awami League chief Hasina has been staying in India since leaving the country on Aug 5, 2024. Proceedings in the case are continuing by showing Hasina and 258 others as fugitives.

CID Assistant Superintendent of Police Md Enamul Haque filed the sedition case on Mar 27, 2025, against Hasina and 72 others.

After completing the investigation, he submitted a chargesheet on Jul 30, naming 286 people as accused.

On Aug 14 last year, the court took cognisance of the charge sheet and issued arrest warrants against the accused. Travel bans were imposed on Sept 11, followed by an order on Oct 14 directing 256 fugitive accused to appear before the court through newspaper notices.

As the case was ready for trial, it was transferred from the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court to the Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court on Nov 11.

According to the case statement, hundreds of leaders and activists participated in a Zoom meeting of the “Joy Bangla Brigade” on Dec 19, 2024, led by US Awami League Vice-President Rabbi Alam.

The allegation states that Hasina made “anti-state” remarks during the meeting, calling for the ouster of interim government chief Muhammad Yunus. The speech later spread widely on social media across the country.