War crimes accused BNP MP Salauddin Quader Chowdhury could not make his testimony as defence witness (DW) No-1 for the seventh day on Wednesday as he fell sick after he was produced before the International Crimes Tribunal-1 from Kashimpur Jail.
After receiving report on his latest health condition from the attending physician and the prosecutor, the tribunal adjourned for Sunday the date of his deposition.
The tribunal in its order asked the jail authorities to take necessary steps about the treatment of the ailing accused in custody.
Besides, the tribunal asked the accused to submit the names of the four DWs as fixed earlier before it by tomorrow (Thursday) along with the particulars of charge(s) and of the point(s) on which the accused proposes to examine the witness, or else the DWs will be debarred from making deposition.
“Till date, the defence counsel didn’t comply with the tribunal’s order in respect of submitting the names of the four DWs,” said the tribunal.
Meanwhile, the tribunal summarily rejected all the three pending applications filed by the counsel for Salauddin Quader Chowdhury.
The rejected petitions were (1) reviewing the tribunal’s earlier order limiting the number of DWs only five from 1153 submitted earlier, (2) declaring inadmissible in evidence some seizure list documents containing photocopies of newspapers, periodicals, magazines and ‘tampered’ materials and (3) adjourning the trial proceedings till the fate of the legal dispute pending with the apex court is resolved over the latest amendment of the ICT Act 1973 in February with retrospective effect providing for equal right to appeal to both the convict and the prosecution that had no right earlier in this regard except in case of acquittal of the accused.
The BNP stalwart faces trial on 23 counts of charges under different provisions of section 3 (2) of the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act 1973, including genocide in collaboration with Pakistan occupation army, killing, extermination of Hindu minority groups, deportation, persecution and abduction in Chittagong district.
