The Supreme Court today upheld the High Court orders that stayed the trial proceedings against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in four more separate vandalism and arson cases filed in 2015.

The apex court, however, asked the High Court to hear and dispose of the rules issued in connection with the cases filed with Darussalam and Jatrabari Police Stations.

It asked Attorney General Mahbubey Alam to take necessary steps for HC hearing on the rules.

A six-member bench of the Appellate Division of the SC, headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, came up with the orders after virtually hearing four separate leave to appeal petitions filed by the state seeking stay on the HC orders.

Alam appeared for the state while lawyers AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon and Bodruddoza Badal represented Khaleda Zia during the virtual proceedings of the court.

Badal told The Daily Star that the High Court stay orders on the trial proceedings of Khaleda will remain in force following the apex court orders.

The HC will hold hearing on the rules for their disposals, he said, adding that Khaleda is on bail in these cases.

Bodruddoza said Khaleda is accused in a total of 37 cases and she is on bail on 35 cases; she has been convicted in two (Zia Orphsnge and Zia Charitable) cases.

The BNP chairperson got release from jail following an executive order issued by the government on March 25 this year.

Following four separate petitions filed by Khaleda, the HC in May 2017 stayed the trial proceedings against her in four separate vandalism and arson cases and also issued four rules asking the government to explain as to why the proceedings of the cases should not be scrapped.

The cases were filed during anti-government agitation enforced by BNP-led alliance in 2015.

Earlier, on August 17, the SC upheld High Court orders that stayed the trial proceedings against Khaleda in four other separate vandalism and arson cases filed in 2015.

The Supreme Court today commuted the death sentence of three convicts to imprisonment till natural death in the sensational Gopal Krishna Muhuri murder case of Chattogram.

Principal Gopal Krishna Muhuri of Nazirhat College in Chittagong was shot dead at his Jamal Khan Road residence in Chattogram on November 16, 2001.

Today, a three-member bench of the Appellate Division of the SC headed by Justice Muhammad Imman Ali commuted the death sentence of the three convicts after hearing their appeals against the High Court verdict on them in the case. 

The grounds on which the apex court commuted their death sentence could not be known immediately as the full text of the verdict has not been released yet.  

All the three convicts -- Azam, Alamgir Kabir alias Baitta Alamgir, and Taslimuddin Montu --  are now in the condemned cell, Deputy Attorney General Amit Das Gupta told The Daily Star this morning.

The three convicts will be shifted to the normal cell of the jail as they are not death-row convicts, he said.

DAG Amit Das Gupta, however, could not say in which jail the three convicts are serving their punishment.             

Following the death reference and appeals of the convicts, the HC on July 19, 2006 upheld a lower court verdict awarding capital punishment to four convicts, including the three, for killing Gopal Krishna Muhuri. 

Of the four, Nasir alias Gittu Nasir was killed in a crossfire with Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) on March 2, 2005.

The three convicts, who are in jail, filed three separate appeals with the SC challenging the HC verdict on them.

Lawyers Khandker Mahbub Hossain and Helal Uddin Mollah appeared for the convicts.

The Supreme Court today summoned Advocate Syed Mamun Mahbub to appear before it on August 20 for posting a derogatory status about Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain on Facebook.

The apex court also issued a rule asking Syed Mamun Mahbub, a Supreme Court lawyer, to explain why contempt of court proceedings should not be brought against him for posting the status on his Facebook profile.

A six-member bench of the Appellate Division of the SC, headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, came up with the order and rule after Attorney General Mahbubey Alam raised the issue before the bench during the virtual proceedings today.

Contacted, Syed Mamun Mahbub told The Daily Star that he heard about the SC order on him.

"I have mistakenly used a word about the chief justice in a Facebook status. I have already deleted the status from my Facebook. I will appear before the Supreme Court on August 20 and will offer unconditional apology for my mistake," he said.

Advocate Mamun Mahbub also said he will reply to the rule after receiving the order of the apex court.

A total of 102 Supreme Court lawyers today collectively filed a writ petition with the High Court, seeking its directive on the government to constitute an independent commission to investigate allegations of crimes committed by law enforcers.

They submitted the 1,667-page petition -- including 1,522 pages of documents -- as a public interest litigation to the HC, saying that a section of law enforcers are reportedly involved in 18 types of crimes, including extrajudicial killing, rape, stalking, drug trading, torture, causing custodial deaths and enforced disappearances.

Citing the petition, their lawyer Mohammad Shishir Manir told The Daily Star that 589 incidents of such offences have reportedly taken place between January 2017 and December 2020.

Since law enforcers themselves conduct inquiries into the allegations against them, the probes are not done fairly and neutrally, he said.

The lawyer said there are independent commissions in different countries including USA, UK, France, India, and Pakistan to conduct investigations into allegations against law enforcers.

The petitioners prayed to the HC to order the home secretary, law secretary, and inspector general of police to form the commission titled "Police Complaint Investigation Commission".

Shishir Manir said the HC is yet to set any date for hearing the petition.

Previous parliamentary opposition Jatiya Party (JP) today expressed dissatisfaction over the outcome of the 11th parliamentary election held Sunday.

Reflecting on it today, the party's Secretary General Mashiur Rahman Ranga said: “The party expected to win more than 22 seats in the election”.

However, he said, “Our party is now stronger than before”.

“We will decide tomorrow whether we will remain as an opposition in the parliament,” he said; adding “the joint meeting will be held with the newly elected lawmakers and standing committee members at 11:00am tomorrow”.

HOW WAS THE ELECTION?

Voting for the 11th parliamentary election ended peacefully in Dhaka; but was tainted with violence elsewhere across the country and cost the lives of at least 19 people.

Reports of casualties came in from Cumilla, Chattogram, Sylhet, Rajshahi, Dinajpur, Rangamati, Cox’s Bazar, Bogura, Noakhali, Narsingdi and Gazipur.

Allegations of vote rigging, election clashes, intimidation and irregularities came in from several other constituencies and capital Dhaka city.

Also, the election saw opposition candidates boycotting elections in at least 43 constituencies; 42 of who were Jatiya Oikyafront runners.