Court warns Khaleda again as she stays absent

A Dhaka court today warned BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia of framing charges against her in 11 lawsuits, including a sedition case, if she fails to appear before it on April 10.

Judge Kamrul Hossain Mollah of the Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court passed the order after Khaleda moved separate petitions before the court seeking nonappearance.

Khaleda prayed the court grant her leave for problems in her eyes, her lawyer Sanaullah Mia said.

Earlier on March 14, the same court warned of framing charges against her in the cases if she fails to appear before the court on March 28 (today).

Of the 11 cases, 10 were filed with Jatrabari and Darussalam police stations in the first three months of 2015 over arson attacks on vehicles. And the other was filed with a Dhaka court for making seditious comments about freedom fighters and the Liberation War martyrs.

Police in May and June last year pressed charges in nine cases against Khaleda and more than 80 leaders and activists of the BNP-led 20-party for arson attacks on buses during the three-month movement by the alliance in 2015. On Sunday, the Supreme Court cleared the way for a lower court to continue her trial in the Zia Charitable Trust graft case.

The High Court last week transferred the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case against Khaleda to Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge's Court, and asked it to complete the trial within 60 days after receiving the order.

Source: thedailystar