Charge-framing hearing against 46 BNP, Jamaat leaders Sept 24

A Dhaka court deferred on Thursday the hearing on charge-framing against 46 BNP and Jamaat leaders, including BNP's acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, to September 24, in a case filed over torching vehicles in front of PM office in 2012, report agencies.

Judge Ataul Haque of the Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal has fixed September 24 for framing charges in the case on Thursday after the defence counsel sought time citing a pending appeal with the Higher Court over the legality of the case.

The court also passed the order on a petition filed to seek time for six BNP leaders, including Barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokon and former Dhaka City Corporation mayor and BNP vice chairman Sadeque Hossain Khoka.

On August 13, a court fixed September 4 for hearing in the case filed with Tejgaon Model thana.

Thirty-seven BNP leaders and activists, including party acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Dhaka city unit BNP convener Mirza Abbas, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, MK Anwar and Dr Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain were present at the court during the hearing.

On April 29, 2012, Tajgaon Model thana police filed the case under the Explosive Act for torching vehicles and obstructing police from performing their duties.

In May last year, police pressed charges against 45 people followed by supplementary charge sheet which implicated Jamaat-e-Islami's student wing general secretary Abdul Jabbar.

Those accused in the charge-sheeted accused include senior BNP leaders MK Anwar, Hannan Shah, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Sadeque Hossain Khoka, Mirza Abbas, Khandker Mosharraf Hossain, Amanullah Aman, Ruhul Kuddus Talukdar Dulu, Goyeshwar Chandra Roy, Fazlul Haque Milon, Sharif Uddin Chowdhury Anne, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal president Sultan Salahuddin Tuku, Swechchhasebak Dal president Habib-un-Nabi Khan Sohel, Liberal Democratic Party president Oli Ahmed, Jamaat-e-Islami acting chief Mokbul Hossain and BJP President Andalib Rahman Partha.