A Comilla court yesterday rejected a bail petition of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in a case filed under the Special Powers Act over an arson attack in the district's Chauddagram upazila over three years ago.

District Judge KM Shamsul Alam passed the order after hearing arguments from the defence and prosecution lawyers.

On July 23, the HC had directed the Comilla court to dispose of Khaleda's bail petition by July 26.

Eight people were killed and many others injured after a bus was torched in Chauddagram on February 2, 2015, during an anti-government agitation.

The following day, police lodged two cases -- one for murder and another for arson with Chauddagram Police Station.

The Comilla court on July 1 had issued an arrest warrant for Khaleda in the arson case and fixed August 8 for hearing her bail petition.

HC EXTENDS KHALEDA'S BAIL

Meanwhile, the High Court yesterday extended till July 31 its earlier order that granted bail to Khaleda in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case.

The bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mustafizur Rahman passed the order following a petition filed by Khaleda seeking extension of her bail.

The Special Judge's Court-5 of Dhaka on February 8 had sentenced the BNP chief to five years' imprisonment in the case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission.

On March 12, the HC granted four months' bail to Khaleda in the case.

Following the extension petition filed by Khaleda, the HC on July 12 extended her bail till July 19. The court on July 18 extended the bail order till today.

The same HC bench yesterday continued for eighth day the hearing on Khaleda's appeal challenging the trial court verdict against her in the corruption case.

The bench later adjourned the hearing till 10:30am on July 29.

During yesterday's proceedings, Khaleda's lawyer Abdur Rezak Khan read out the statements of witnesses from the paper book of the case and also placed arguments before the court.

ACC lawyer Khusrhid Alam Khan also read out the statements of    witnesses from the paper book of the case. 

The same HC bench is set to hear four appeals in the graft case. Of the pleas, one was filed by the BNP chief seeking acquittal of the charges and another by the ACC seeking increase in Khaleda's jail term.

Two others convicts Qazi Saleemul Huq alias Qazi Kamal and Sharfuddin Ahmed filed appeals seeking acquittal of the charges.

The trial court had also jailed BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman and four others to 10 years' imprisonment and fined them Tk 2.1 crore each in the graft case.

Khaleda landed in jail on February 8 after being convicted in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case.

Our Comilla correspondent contributed to this report.