Arson Case Against opposition Leaders
Govt seeks resumption of proceedings
The government yesterday filed a petition for vacating a High Court order that stayed the proceedings of an arson case against 46 opposition leaders and workers, including the BNP acting secretary general.
Attorney General Mahbubey Alam placed the petition before the HC bench of Justice Naima Haider and Justice Muhammad Khurshid Alam Sarkar.
Accepting the petition, the bench yesterday fixed today for a hearing.
The same bench on August 6 stayed for eight weeks all the function of Speedy Trial Court-5 regarding the bus torching case filed against the opposition leaders and workers.
The HC also issued a rule upon the authorities concerned to explain in two weeks why the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court's decision to give judicial powers to the Speedy Trial Court-5 to conduct the case should not be declared illegal.
The HC's move came since the government could not show any copy of gazette notification “giving judicial power to Speedy Trial Court-5 to conduct cases having the same nature like that of the arson case”.
The attorney general's office yesterday annexed a gazette notification issued by the government in 2008 along with its petition, Deputy Attorney General Ekramul Haque Tutul told The Daily Star.
Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Bikash Kumar Saha on July 31 in an order gave judicial powers to Metropolitan Magistrate Harun-or Rashid to conduct the Speedy Trial Court-5 for hearing and disposing of the case.
The Speedy Trial Court-5 the same day framed charges against the 46 accused in the case.
Police filed the case with Tejgaon Police Station hours after a bus was set ablaze near the Prime Minister's Office during the opposition's April 29 hartal.
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