A Dhaka court on Thursday asked BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia to appear before it on April 10 in a sedition case to explain her remarks about the numbers of 1971 martyrs.
Dhaka metropolitan magistrate Mohammad Zakir Hossain Tipu passed the order after hearing a time petition filed by Khaleda’s lawyer Sanaullah Miah for her illness.
He mentioned in his time plea that as she was sick, she could not appear before the court, so the court might allow her some time.
The petition said she was three-time elected prime minister and working for restoring democracy and also for judiciary.
Earlier, Salauddin Hawladar, a lawyer of the plaintiff Momtaz Uddin Ahmed Mehedi, filed a petition for issuing warrant for the arrest of Khaleda in the case.
On January 25, Dhaka metropolitan magistrate Mohammad Rashed Talukdar summoned BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia to appear before it on March 3 in the sedition case after taking cognizance of the treason charge against the BNP chief.
Supreme Court lawyer Momtaz Uddin Ahmed Mehedi, also a member of executive body of Bangladesh Awami League, filed the case with the court, urging it to issue a warrant for Khaleda’s arrest on January 25.
On December 21 last, Khaleda Zia at a discussion at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh raised questions about the actual number of Liberation War martyrs saying,
Two days later on December 23, lawyer Mehedi sent a legal notice to the BNP chairperson, asking her to apologise.
Source: New Age
