Khaleda Zia’s defence counsel Masud Ahmed Talukder filed the time plea, saying his client could not appear before the court due to her illness. COURTESY
A court in Dhaka on Sunday set September 30 for holding hearing on charges in two cases against Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia for celebrating ‘fake birthday’ on National Mourning Day and stigmatizing the liberation war by ‘rehabilitating’ the anti-liberation forces.
Sunday was fixed for holding the hearing, but Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Asaduzzaman Noor deferred the date, allowing a time petition filed by the defence lawyers.
Khaleda Zia’s defence counsel Masud Ahmed Talukder filed the time plea, saying his client could not appear before the court due to her illness.
Journalist GaziJahirul Islam lodged the ‘fake birthday’ case against Khaleda on August 30, 2016.
According to the complainant, Khaleda from 1996 is celebrating her fake birthday on August 15, the day when the country’s founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was killed along with most of his family members.
The case alleged that the ‘fake birthday’ was being observed by Khaleda in a bid to dishonour Sheikh Mujib.
The complainant also submitted copies of different newspaper reports on Khaleda’s birthday, copies of her passport, marriage certificate and mark sheets, which indicates her birthday on any other day but not August 15.
Jananetri Parishad President Ab Siddiqui filed the other case on November 3, 2016, against Khaleda Zia and her late husband Ziaur Rahman for stigmatizing the liberation war by rehabilitating anti- liberation war elements.
The BNP chief is on bail in both the cases as Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge KM ImrulQayesh granted her bail on July 31, 2018.
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