Bigwigs make beeline for bail
Tuesday, 22 July 2008
A host of petitions from high-profile politicians and businessmen facing corruption charges was placed before the High Court (HC) Monday either for bail or quashing the graft cases filed against them by the Anti-corruption Commission (ACC), reports UNB.
Court sources said as many as 30 petitions from the top brass of major parties like Awami League, BNP and Jamaat appeared on the cause list for hearings before a Division Bench of Justice Sharif Uddin Chaklader and Justice Emdadul Huq Azad.
Among those in the queue are ex-PM Sheikh Hasina, now abroad on parole for treatment, Abdul Jalil, undergoing treatment in Singapore, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Eng Mosharraf Hossain, Salman F Rahman, Mirza Azam, AKM Rahmatullah, Lotus Kamal and Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah of Awami League, BNP's M Shamsul Islam, Mirza Abbas, Lutfozzaman Babar, Barisal Mayor Majibur Rahman Sarwar and reformist BNP leader Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan and Jamaat leader Abu Taher.
But the hearings on the pack of petitions could not take place Monday as the just-appointed Attorney General, Salahuddin Ahmed, prayed for adjournment to scrutinise the petitions.
The AG told the bench that he could not yet look into the piled-up petitions case by case.
The court held back the hearings up to next Sunday.
A leading counsel for the petitioners, Barrister Shafique Ahmed said if any change is brought to the court in the meantime in the form of reconstitution of the bench or taking away its jurisdiction, then the Supreme Court Bar would take a "serious stand against it for the sake of establishing the rule of law".
Citing past experiences, Barrister Shafique, also president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, said, "We do not want to see the repetition that had tarnished the image of the highest judiciary and eroded people's trust and confidence in the highest court."
Of late, he observed, the Supreme Court is trying to redeem its image and prestige through dispensation of justice, "albeit independently".
The bigwigs are making beeline for bail or getting their cases quashed following a number of bails or stays on trial proceedings against the high-profile persons, including former ruling politicians, booked under the unassailable emergency rules.
Court sources said as many as 30 petitions from the top brass of major parties like Awami League, BNP and Jamaat appeared on the cause list for hearings before a Division Bench of Justice Sharif Uddin Chaklader and Justice Emdadul Huq Azad.
Among those in the queue are ex-PM Sheikh Hasina, now abroad on parole for treatment, Abdul Jalil, undergoing treatment in Singapore, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Eng Mosharraf Hossain, Salman F Rahman, Mirza Azam, AKM Rahmatullah, Lotus Kamal and Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah of Awami League, BNP's M Shamsul Islam, Mirza Abbas, Lutfozzaman Babar, Barisal Mayor Majibur Rahman Sarwar and reformist BNP leader Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan and Jamaat leader Abu Taher.
But the hearings on the pack of petitions could not take place Monday as the just-appointed Attorney General, Salahuddin Ahmed, prayed for adjournment to scrutinise the petitions.
The AG told the bench that he could not yet look into the piled-up petitions case by case.
The court held back the hearings up to next Sunday.
A leading counsel for the petitioners, Barrister Shafique Ahmed said if any change is brought to the court in the meantime in the form of reconstitution of the bench or taking away its jurisdiction, then the Supreme Court Bar would take a "serious stand against it for the sake of establishing the rule of law".
Citing past experiences, Barrister Shafique, also president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, said, "We do not want to see the repetition that had tarnished the image of the highest judiciary and eroded people's trust and confidence in the highest court."
Of late, he observed, the Supreme Court is trying to redeem its image and prestige through dispensation of justice, "albeit independently".
The bigwigs are making beeline for bail or getting their cases quashed following a number of bails or stays on trial proceedings against the high-profile persons, including former ruling politicians, booked under the unassailable emergency rules.