Court rejects Khaleda\\\'s time petition

A Dhaka court on Wednesday rejected petition for deferring charge framing against Khaleda Zia in two graft cases filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). The former Prime Minister reached the Special Judge Court-3, Dhaka, in the old part of the city from her Gulshan residence in the afternoon. Judge Basudev Roy turned down the time petition submitted by the BNP chief. The defence counsels furiously protested in the courtroom when the judge rejected their petition seeking more time and wanted to initiate hearing to frame charges. The judge left the court room when Khaleda Zia's lawyers protested shouting at the top of their voice after their plea was turned down. Khaleda's lawyer Masum Ahmed Talukder said that they would move the High Court against the order. Khaleda arrived in the court along with some leaders of the party, her counsels and aides around 1:00pm. Earlier, Judge Basudev Roy set today (Wednesday) for the charge framing against Khaleda, her elder son and BNP vice chairman Tarique Rahman and others in Zia Charitable Trust and Zia Orphanage Trust corruption cases. Security was beefed up in and around the court premises since Wednesday morning. Khaleda last appeared in court on January 15 last year when the ACC submitted charge-sheet in one of the cases against her. The former Leader of the Opposition sought time on 41 occasions in the Zia Orphanage Trust case and 11 times in the Zia Charitable Trust case. On Februar 16 this year, the court issued an ultimatum to Khaleda ordering her to appear before it on March 19 or else face arrest, according to a news agency.