Charge hearing against Latif Siddiqui Dec 7

A Dhaka court has fixed December 7 for hearing of framing the charge against axed telecoms minister Abdul Latif Siddiqui in a case filed over his rant on Holy Hajj and Tabligh Jamaat. Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Asaduzzaman Nur passed the order on Sunday. Latif Siddiqui was sent to jail by Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Atiqur Rahman when police produced him before his court following his surrender in Dhanmondi Police Station on November 25. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Bikash Kumar Sarker transferred the case to the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Asaduzzaman Nur. Siddiqui was shown arrested by the police on Nov 25 in one of the 7 cases filed against him in Dhaka for his offensive remarks on Holy Hajj and Tabligh Jamaat which he made while addressing a programme in New York on September 28. Siddiqui, who was also a presidium member of the Awami League, lost his Cabinet berth and position at the highest policy-making body of the party in October over his disparaging comments on the Holy Hajj. The sacked posts and telecommunications minister was formally expelled by the AL when he lost the party’s ordinary membership earlier this month. At least a dozen cases were filed against him in different courts in the country and several warrants issued for his arrest over the remarks that hurt the sentiment of Muslims, according to a news agency.