Khaleda sued for sedition [ Tritiyo Matra News ]

Khaleda sued for sedition

Local January 26, 2016

The Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court on Monday summoned Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia to appear before it on March 3 in a sedition case for her recent remarks about the figure of martyrs of the 1971 Liberation War.
Acting BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, however, said that the case was filed against Khaleda to wreck political vengeance on her and to keep her away from politics.
Metropolitan magistrate Mohammad Rashed Talukder passed the order after recording the statement of the plaintiff, former Supreme Court Bar Association secretary Mamtazuddin Ahmed Mehedi, also ruling Awami League central working committee member.
Mamtazuddin field the case with the court accusing Khaleda of committing sedition by doubting the figure of martyrs of the Liberation War and the role of the country’s founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the Awami League in the war.
He filed the case after the home ministry on January 21 sanctioned the filing of the sedition case, as filing of any sedition cased required sanction of the government.
The home ministry sanctioned the filing of the case on January 21 as Mamtazuddin, also former general secretary of Chatra League, the AL-backed student organisation, sought permission to file the case.
In its letter giving the sanction, the ministry, referring to Mamtazuddin’s application for the sanction, said that Khaleda at a discussion organised by Jatiyatabadi Muktijoddha Dal at Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh on December 21, 2015 made ‘controversial’ remarks about the figure of martyrs and the role of Sheikh Mujib and the Awami League in the Liberation War.
Mamtazuddin served a legal notice on Khaleda on December 23, 2015 asking her to offer an ‘unconditional apology’ or to face legal action.
Khaleda did not respond to the legal notice.
Former home minister Sahara Khatun, Dhaka District and Sessions Judge’s Court public prosecutor Abdul Mannan Khan and of Dhaka Metropolitan Session Judge’s court public prosecutor Mohammad Abdullah Abu stood for the petitioner.
Several lawyers of Khaleda Zia were also present in the courtroom, but they did not take part in the proceedings.
Pro-BNP lawyers demonstrated outside the court protesting against the filing of the sedition case against Khaleda. They also chanted slogans against the government.
According to the complaint, Khaleda had also said that the Awami League was not a party of freedom fighters and there was no freedom fighter in the party.
‘The AL leaders who claim to be freedom fighters are all fake,’ Khaleda was quoted in the complaint to have said.
The complaint also mentioned that without naming Sheikh Mujib, Khaleda said that he did not want independence, rather wanted to become the prime minister of Pakistan.
The remarks of the BNP chief were published in all the national dailies on December 22, the complaint said.
It cited reports of Bangla dailies Amader Shomoy, Bangladesh Pratidin and Janakhantaha. The plaintiff named eight prosecution witnesses.
The complaint termed Khaleda’s remarks derogatory, unwarranted, unconstitutional and seditious. In this connection two cases were earlier filled with the court –– one by Jananetri Parishad president AB Siddique and another by Bangabandhu Foundation president Moshiur Mallek –– and the cases were kept pending for investigations.
Khaleda is facing 11 cases. Three of them were field by the Anti-Corruption Commission. Zia Orphanage Trust case and Zia Charitable Trust case are now under trial. Niko graft case is scheduled for charge framing.
Charge sheet has been submitted against Khaleda and others in a case for the killing of two cops.