HC extends bail to Khaleda Zia in two defamation cases

The High Court on Monday extended Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s bail in two defamation cases filed in Dhaka and Narail districts, reports news agency UNB.

The HC bench of justice Mustafa Zaman Islam and justice Md. Aminul Islam passed the order after hearing a petition. The bail was extended until the disposition of the two cases.

Barrister Kaisar Kamal stood for Khaleda Zia.

Earlier, on 21 December, 2015, Khaleda Zia at a discussion at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh raised questions about the actual number of Liberation War martyrs saying, “There’re controversies over how many were martyred in the Liberation War. There’re also many books and documents on the controversies.”

Reacting to Khaleda’s remarks, Raihan Farooque Imam of Naragati in Narail, filed a case with the Cognisance Court on 24 December, 2015.

On 5 January, 2016, Jananetri Parishad President AB Siddiqui filed another case with Dhaka Metropolitan Chief Magistrate Court.

The High Court on 13 and 14 August, 2018 granted six-month bail to Khaleda in the two cases.

Later, the state counsel filed a petition seeking stay on the High Court order and the Appellate Division also upheld the HC order.

Since then the bail has been extended several times in the two cases.