Khaleda’s bail plea order on 5 July

Two Dhaka courts on Thursday fixed 5 July to pass their orders on the bail petitions of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson and former prime minister Khaleda Zia in two cases, reports UNB.

One of the two cases was filed for celebrating 'fake' birthday and another for “undermining the country's map, the national flag and the liberation war”.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Khurshid Alam set the date in the case filed for celebrating 'fake' birthday while Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Ahsan Habib fixed the date in another case after hearing separate bail petitions filed by Khaleda's lawyer Sanaullah Miah.

On 17 November 2016, a Dhaka court issued a warrant for the arrest of the BNP chairperson in a case filed against her for celebrating 'fake' birthday on the National Mourning Day on 15 August.

Former joint general secretary of Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) Gazi Jahirul Islam filed the case with the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court accusing Khaleda of provoking people by celebrating her 'false' birthday on 15 August.

The case was filed under sections 198 and 469 of the Code of Criminal Procedures (CrPC).

In his complaint, Jahirul Islam said Khaleda's date of birth was mentioned as 15 August 1946 in her latest passport while 9 August 1944 in her marriage registration and 5 September 1946, in her (unsuccessful) SSC mark sheet.

On 3 November 2016, president of Jananetri Parishad, a pro-Awami League organisation, AB Siddique, filed the other case with a court accusing Khaleda of undermining the country's map, the national flag and the Liberation War.

A special judge court convicted Khaleda in a graft case on 8 February and sent her to jail. She has been kept in the abandoned central jail at Nazimuddin Road in the capital.