Hearing on charge framing against Babar deferred

Court Correspondent
A Dhaka court yesterday deferred till March 15 the hearing on charge framing against detained former state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar in connection with a tax evasion case. Judge Mohammad Mozammel Hossain of the Special Judge Court-3 passed the order after Babar's lawyer submitted a petition seeking an adjournment of the hearing. Babar was not produced before the court during the hearing. In the petition, lawyer said their client had earlier filed an appeal with the High Court (HC) challenging the legality of the proceeding of the case. The HC then issued a rule upon the government asking to explain why the proceeding of the case would not be declared illegal. But the rule hearing is now pending. So, the lawyer prayed for adjournment of the hearing, he added. National Board of Revenue (NBR) filed the case against Babar for dodging Tk 2.65 crore income tax from 1999-2000 to 2008-09. Babar accused in a dozen of cases, was also shown arrested in the August 21, 2004 grenade attack cases, Shah AMS Kibria killing case, bomb blast case in Narayanganj and ten-truck arms case.