Appellate Division upholds HC verdicts scraping extortion cases against Tarique

The Supreme Court’s Appellate Division has dismissed a leave to appeal petition that the state had filed challenging the High Court’s verdict on scraping four extortion cases filed against the acting chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Tarique Rahman. 

A four-member bench, led by Justice Ashfaqul Islam, passed the order on Sunday. It means the four cases will remain dismissed as per the High Court verdict.

Earlier, on 23 October, the High Court declared the proceedings in the four cases – three filed at Gulshan and one at Dhanmondi police stations in 2007 – null and void, hearing petitions of Tarique Rahman. 

In December, the state filed a leave to appeal petition with the Appellate Division, challenging the High Court verdict. When the petition was produced before a chamber court, it was scheduled for hearing in a regular bench. 

On Sunday, additional attorney general Aneek R Haque represented the state, while senior lawyer AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon, argued on behalf of Tarique Rahman. Senior lawyers Jainul Abedin, M Badruddoja, Ruhul Quddus, and Kaysar Kamal were also present during the hearing. 

Briefing the media, lawyer Kaiser Kamal said the High Court had quashed the cases after a full hearing. The state later lodged a leave to appeal petition at the Appellate Division, challenging the verdict. The court, however, dismissed the petition upon hearing both sides.