BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday moved the High Court (HC) with a fresh bail petition in a case filed under the Special Power Act over an arson attack in Cumilla on February 3, 2015. The HC bench of Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice SM Mojibur Rahman held hearing in part yesterday and adjourned the hearing till today morning (Monday).
Earlier, on July 23, the same HC bench had directed the Cumilla special judge's Ccurt to dispose of the bail petition filed by BNP chief Khaleda Zia in an arson case by July 26. It had come up with the directive following a petition filed by Khaleda before the court seeking bail in the case filed under the Special Powers Act.
After the HC directive, the BNP chief moved the Cumilla court, which denied bail to Khaleda Zia on July 27 in the case.
Later, Khaleda moved the HC yesterday with a fresh bail petition in that case. On February 3, 2015, eight people were killed and 20 others injured when miscreants hurled a petrol bomb at a bus at Jogmohanpur in Chouddagram of Cumilla district. Two cases were filed in this connection against Khaleda.
The BNP chief had already secured bail from the HC in one case and sought bail from the HC in the other. On February 8 this year, Khaleda Zia was sent to jail after a special court sentenced her to five years of rigorous imprisonment in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case. Though BNP chief secured bail in the Zia orphanage trust case from the HC as well as the Appellate Division, she could not get a release as she is now facing some other cases filed against her.
Meanwhile, the BNP chief filed a petition with the Appellate Division, seeking extension of its time limit that asked the HC to dispose of the appeal of Zia Orphanage Trust case by July 31. The Appellate Division kept the BNP chief's petition as item no. 8 in today’s cause list of the Supreme Court. The Appellate Division today will hold the hearing on the BNP chief's petition that sought extension of the time limit regarding the appeal hearing in the Zia Orphanage trust graft case.