War Crimes Trial
Ruling on charge framing against SQ Chy deferred till March 27
The International Crimes Tribunal yesterday deferred until March 27 its ruling on whether to frame charges against BNP lawmaker Salauddin Quader Chowdhury for war crimes.
Salauddin is facing 77 charges on 25 accounts of crimes against humanity committed during the country's Liberation War in 1971
The court was scheduled to deliver its order on the issue yesterday. One judge of the three-member panel Justice AKM Zaheer Ahmed was absent from the proceedings due to his illness and Chairman of the tribunal Justice Nizamul Haq said the court would give its order on charge framing against the opposition leader in presence of all the three judges.
He, however, said there was no legal bar for the two judges in passing the order.
Earlier in the day, the court comprised of its chairman and another member Justice ATM Fazle Kabir refused to hear a review petition by the MP from Chittagong against its February 13 order that rejected his prayer for discharging him from the charges.
Fakhrul Islam, a counsel for Salauddin, prayed to the court for hearing the review petition filed on March 18 before passing the order on charge framing.
The court said it would hear the review petition later.
Salauddin yesterday morning was taken to the tribunal custody from Kashimpur Jail-2 in Gazipur.
But he was not produced before the court as it set the new date for the ruling.
When the judges went for lunch yesterday, State Minister for Law Qamrul Islam visited the old High Court building, where the tribunal sits, in order to have a look at the courtroom where a second tribunal will also be held.
As the state minister was passing through the prison cell beside the staircase, detained BNP lawmaker Salauddin called him.
“Assalamu Alaikum, the state minister for law!” said Salauddin, who was in the tribunal custody.
“Now that you put me into prison, do send some good food to eat,” he added.
Quamrul Islam, who seemed to be in a hurry, took the stairs up without saying anything.
The BNP leader was being attended by his family members at the prison cell of the International Crimes Tribunal.
Jamaat-e-Islami leaders Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed and Delawar Hossain Sayedee were also there at the prison cell.
Salauddin is among the two BNP and six Jamaat-e-Islami leaders, who are facing war crimes charges now.
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