The High Court on Wednesday, scrapped the trial proceedings in 11 criminal cases, including a sedition case filed against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
The High Court bench of Justice A K M Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayet Hossain delivered the verdicts after holding a final hearing on 11 petitions filed by Khaleda Zia seeking to quash the proceedings in the cases.
The cases were filed accusing her of playing a role in arson, violence, and sedition with different police stations in Dhaka on various occasions in 2015 during the regime of the Sheikh Hasina-led government.
Among the cases, seven were filed with Dhaka's Darusslam Police Station, three with Jatrabari Police Station, and one filed as a sedition case. Khaleda Zia was on bail in these cases.
Khaleda Zia filed separate petitions with the HC challenging the legality of these 11 cases in 2017. Following the petitions, the HC issued rules and stayed the proceedings. After a hearing on the rules, the HC bench delivered its verdict on Wednesday.
Lawyers Zainul Abedin, AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon, Kayser Kamal, Nasir Uddin Ahmed Ashim, Ragib Rouf Chowdhury, and Sanjid Siddique appeared in court on behalf of the BNP Chairperson.
Later, lawyer Zainul Abedin said, "After hearing the earlier issued rules, the court declared them absolute. So the cases have been scrapped."
One was a sedition case. A sedition case cannot be filed without the permission of the government. However, the case against the BNP chairperson was filed without following the due legal process. The law enforcers even submitted a charge sheet.
After the hearing on the rule, the HC bench also scrapped the proceedings of the case.
Khaleda Zia was sentenced in two corruption cases during the Sheikh Hasina regime. She had been behind bars since February 8, 2018. During the Coronavirus pandemic, the government released her from jail on March 25, 2020, on certain conditions.
She was fully released on August 6 this year after the fall of Sheikh Hasina's government on August 5 following a mass uprising.
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