Lawyer seeks Khaleda’s release on parole
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s lawyer Khandker Mahbub Hossain today urged the government to release Khaleda Zia from jail on parole considering a humanitarian ground for her better treatment.
“Since Khaleda Zia has been sent to prison, her diseases have become acute and an apprehension has been created over her life. It’s not possible to release her quickly from jail through legal procedures as both the Appellate and High Court Divisions of the Supreme Court and the lower courts are now closed due to Eid-ul-Fitr holiday,” he said.
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Advocate Khandker Mahbub, also a vice chairman of BNP, made the appeal at a press conference at his Malibagh residence in Dhaka.
The senior lawyer said Khaleda Zia wants to take treatment at specialised United Hospital in Dhaka and therefore, her desire should be given importance.
Advocate Khandker Mahbub said Sheikh Hasina, now the prime minister, had been released from jail on parole and got the opportunity for treatment during the regime of military government.
Even, Sheikh Hasina had taken treatment from abroad after being released on parole, he said, adding that Khaleda Zia should be given such an opportunity.
On May 16, the SC upheld an HC order that granted four month’s bail to Khaleda in Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case in which she was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment by a trial court.
But, Khaleda, who landed in jail on February 8, could not walk out of the prison as she was shown arrested in seven other cases filed in Comilla, Dhaka and Narail.
On May 28, the HC granted bail for six months to Khaleda in two cases.
One of the cases was filed in connection with vandalising vehicles in Comilla's Chouddagram area on January 25, 2015, while other filed over killing seven people and injuring 25-26 others by setting fire on a bus in Chouddagram on February 2, 2015.
Following two stay petitions filed by the government, chamber judge of the SC on May 29 stayed the HC orders of bail and sent the stay petitions to its full bench for their hearing on May 31.
After hearing the stay petitions, a three-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain on May 31 extended its chamber judge’s order and asked the government to file two separate leave to appeal petitions with this court by June 24 against the HC bail orders in the cases.
The apex court also fixed June 24 for holding a hearing on the leave to appeal petitions.
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