A group of pro-BNP lawyers staged protest in a courtroom during the hearing of the party chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia’s bail appeal in a case, forcing all the six judges of the Appellate Division including the chief justice to leave the courtroom.
During the protes, the lawyers were shouting “shame, shame” at the judges.
The lawyers said they will not leave the courtroom until the Supreme Court hears the appeal filed by Khaleda challenging a High Court order that rejected her bail in Zia Charitable Trust case and grant her bail.
Lawyers were shouting at the courtroom till 10:15am when the report was filed.
Around 9:45am today, a six-member bench of the Appellate Division by the Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain started hearing on the appeal.
Attorney General Mahbubey Alam told the court that the authorities of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) are yet to prepare the medical reports on Khaleda Zia’s health condition.
He prayed to the court to adjourn the hearing of the appeal till next Thursday (December 12).
Khaleda Zia’s lawyer Advocate Zainul Abedin opposed the attorney general saying that Khaleda’s health condition in not good and she is about to die.
He requested the apex court to hear the appeal today and grant her bail considering health and human aspect.
The attorney general told the SC that it may adjourn the hearing until the medical report is not produced before the court.
As soon as the chief justice said the court will hear the appeal on next Thursday, the pro BNP lawyer started protest and the judges could not run their judicial functions due to this chaos.
At this stage, the judges left the courtroom around 10:00am.
On November 28, the Supreme Court asked the BSMMU authorities to submit a report on Khaleda’s health condition before the court by December 5.
The court gave the order while hearing an appeal filed by Khaleda, seeking bail in Zia Charitable Trust case.
She was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment by a lower court in the case.
Khaleda on November 14 filed the appeal with the SC challenging the High Court order that on July 31 rejected her bail petition in the same case.
On October 29 last year, a special court in Dhaka convicted Khaleda Zia in the case and sentenced her to seven years’ imprisonment in her absence. Anti-Corruption Commission filed the case with Tejgaon Police Station on August 8, 2011.
The BNP chief landed in jail after being sentenced to five years’ imprisonment in Zia Orphanage Trust case by the same court on February 8. The HC on October 30 enhanced her punishment to 10 years in the case, after dismissing her appeal.
