Sylhet Ballot Snatching Case

Charge framing date deferred to Feb 10

12 December 2009, 17:00 PM

Staff Correspondent, Sylhet

A Sylhet court on Thursday deferred the date for framing charges against Sylhet BNP President and former lawmaker M Ilyas Ali and 47 others in the case for snatching ballot papers. Senior Judicial Magistrate Enayet Kabir Sarker fixed February 10, 2010 for framing the charges against the accused following a prayer for extension of time by the defence counsel, court sources informed. Police filed a case against 50 BNP men, including Ilyas Ali and some UP chairmen, on charge of showing two ballot papers sealed on sheaf of paddy symbol in public illegally a day after December 29 parliamentary elections. BNP men said they found the ballot papers in a paddy field behind Ashuganj Government Primary School in Biswanath upazila. But police alleged that Ilyas and his men had snatched the ballot papers from government officials. As police pressed charges against 48 BNP men, the accused appeared before the High court and got inerim bail. The bench comprising Justice Md Abdul Wahab Miah and Justice Marjiul Haque on April 28 ordered the accused to appear before the court concerned in eight weeks as they prayed for extension of bail. Accordingly, Ilyas and 45 others appeared before the Chief Judicial Magistrate's Court on June 22 and got ad interim bail. Three other accused, who were staying in the UK, also got bail later. The Chief Judicial Magistrate also referred the case to the Court of Senior Judicial magistrate-1. The other accused include, Biswanath Upazila Parishad Vice-Chairman Gous Khan, Ilyas Ali's younger brother Askir Ali and UP Chairmen Shamsuzzaman Shomsu, Rajab Ali and Kabir Hossain Dhola Miah.