Framing of charge against Hasina deferred till Dec 9
Tuesday, 4 December 2007
Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Court Monday could not frame charges against ex-Prime Minister (PM) and Awami League (AL) chief Sheikh Hasina in an extortion case as the defence counsel could not study the latest documents concerning the case, reports UNB.
Endorsing the defence counsel's plea, Sessions judge M Azizul Haque deferred the charge framing until December 9.
Detained Hasina was brought to the court at about 9:35 am to face the trial in the Tk 30 million (3.0 crore) extortion case amid an unprecedented security measures taken in and around the makeshift court set up in the parliament building complex.
Azam J Chowdhury, managing director of East Coast Trading Pvt Ltd, filed the case with Gulshan police station on June 13 against Hasina and her cousin former Health Minister Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim.
Wearing a white-green print 'Jamdani' saree, Hasina stood in the dock with the usual smile in her face. She looked confident and waved hands to her lawyers and journalists in the jam-packed courtroom.
Co-accused Sheikh Selim followed her sister in the dock. The court resumed at about 9:40am, five minutes after the appearance of the accused.
At the outset of the court proceedings, Syed Reazur Rahman, counsel for Sheikh Selim, sought permission from the court to call the accused to sit down on chairs in the dock. The court readily granted the permission.
Syed Rezaur also sought court permission to allow Sheikh Selim to speak but the court turned down the plea and asked his lawyer to follow the court rules.
Later, Syed Rezaur submitted an application seeking retraction of his confessional statement implicating Hasina in the extortion case.
In the retraction application, Sheikh Selim disclosed a painful and nightmarish ordeal that forced him to make the confession before the magistrate.
Selim said the joint forces arrested him on May 29 last from his Banani house without warrant and he was taken to an unknown place blindfolded.
The next day he was produced before the court and sent on police remand when he alleged that he was terribly tortured both mentally and physically to implicate Hasina in the case.
In an atmosphere of pin-drop silence in the courtroom, Selim said, "I didn't make the confession willingly. Even I was threatened to be put on crossfire if I deny making the confessional statement. In such a horrific situation, any human being would have done this."
Selim, a presidium member of AL, reminded the court that he might again undergo the same torture for his Monday's retraction. "But I don't want to live on by making myself humiliated before the people," he said, seeking his life security from the caretaker government (CG).
After hearing, the court put the retraction application on record without passing any order.
Later, Barrister Shafique Ahmed stood for Hasina and submitted an application challenging a government notification that transferred the Sessions Judge Court from its old permanent seat in old Dhaka to the Parliament building complex.
Moving the petition, Barrister Shafique said after the separation of the judiciary from the executive control on November 1, the government had no authority to shift the Sessions court. The way the government shifted the court to try a particular case does not cover the law.
"We're not challenging the authority of the court but opposing the holding of trial of a particular case by changing the court's venue," he said.
Opposing the contention of Barrister Shafique, Chief Prosecutor Sharfuddin Mukul said the government could take the decision regarding the place of trial. The makeshift court was constituted legally, he said, adding the petition was not maintainable at all.
After hearing both sides, the court turned down the petition of Barrister Shafique. As the court was about to start framing charge, another counsel Qamrul Islam sought adjournment of the charge framing as he pleaded that he could not receive the latest documents relating to the case. And the court finally adjourned the charge framing until December 9.
Before the court rose for the day at 12.00 noon, it allowed Sheikh Hasina to consult with as many as 20 lawyers present in the courtroom for an hour.
Awami League acting president Zillur Rahman was present in the court as per his decision to stand for his detained leader.
Endorsing the defence counsel's plea, Sessions judge M Azizul Haque deferred the charge framing until December 9.
Detained Hasina was brought to the court at about 9:35 am to face the trial in the Tk 30 million (3.0 crore) extortion case amid an unprecedented security measures taken in and around the makeshift court set up in the parliament building complex.
Azam J Chowdhury, managing director of East Coast Trading Pvt Ltd, filed the case with Gulshan police station on June 13 against Hasina and her cousin former Health Minister Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim.
Wearing a white-green print 'Jamdani' saree, Hasina stood in the dock with the usual smile in her face. She looked confident and waved hands to her lawyers and journalists in the jam-packed courtroom.
Co-accused Sheikh Selim followed her sister in the dock. The court resumed at about 9:40am, five minutes after the appearance of the accused.
At the outset of the court proceedings, Syed Reazur Rahman, counsel for Sheikh Selim, sought permission from the court to call the accused to sit down on chairs in the dock. The court readily granted the permission.
Syed Rezaur also sought court permission to allow Sheikh Selim to speak but the court turned down the plea and asked his lawyer to follow the court rules.
Later, Syed Rezaur submitted an application seeking retraction of his confessional statement implicating Hasina in the extortion case.
In the retraction application, Sheikh Selim disclosed a painful and nightmarish ordeal that forced him to make the confession before the magistrate.
Selim said the joint forces arrested him on May 29 last from his Banani house without warrant and he was taken to an unknown place blindfolded.
The next day he was produced before the court and sent on police remand when he alleged that he was terribly tortured both mentally and physically to implicate Hasina in the case.
In an atmosphere of pin-drop silence in the courtroom, Selim said, "I didn't make the confession willingly. Even I was threatened to be put on crossfire if I deny making the confessional statement. In such a horrific situation, any human being would have done this."
Selim, a presidium member of AL, reminded the court that he might again undergo the same torture for his Monday's retraction. "But I don't want to live on by making myself humiliated before the people," he said, seeking his life security from the caretaker government (CG).
After hearing, the court put the retraction application on record without passing any order.
Later, Barrister Shafique Ahmed stood for Hasina and submitted an application challenging a government notification that transferred the Sessions Judge Court from its old permanent seat in old Dhaka to the Parliament building complex.
Moving the petition, Barrister Shafique said after the separation of the judiciary from the executive control on November 1, the government had no authority to shift the Sessions court. The way the government shifted the court to try a particular case does not cover the law.
"We're not challenging the authority of the court but opposing the holding of trial of a particular case by changing the court's venue," he said.
Opposing the contention of Barrister Shafique, Chief Prosecutor Sharfuddin Mukul said the government could take the decision regarding the place of trial. The makeshift court was constituted legally, he said, adding the petition was not maintainable at all.
After hearing both sides, the court turned down the petition of Barrister Shafique. As the court was about to start framing charge, another counsel Qamrul Islam sought adjournment of the charge framing as he pleaded that he could not receive the latest documents relating to the case. And the court finally adjourned the charge framing until December 9.
Before the court rose for the day at 12.00 noon, it allowed Sheikh Hasina to consult with as many as 20 lawyers present in the courtroom for an hour.
Awami League acting president Zillur Rahman was present in the court as per his decision to stand for his detained leader.