The Supreme Court today upheld High Court orders that stayed the trial proceedings against BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir in two cases filed in 2012 and 2013 over vandalism and arson.

The Appellate Division of the SC, however, asked the HC to hold hearings and dispose of the rules issued in connection with the cases.

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

Following the two petitions filed by Mirza Fakhrul, the HC on November 7, 2017 stayed the trial proceedings against him in two cases lodged with Sher-E-Bangla Nagar and Ramna Police Stations in 2012 and 2013 respectively.

The HC also issued two rules asking the state to explain why the proceedings of the cases against Mirza Fakhrul should not be scrapped.

Today, Sagir Hossain Leon, a lawyer for Mirza Fakhrul, told The Daily Star that his client is accused in a total of 86 vandalism, arson and defamation cases, which were filed with political motivations.

Mirza Fakhrul is now on bail in all the cases filed against him, he added.

The Supreme Court today suspended the enrolment of Advocate Md Eunus Ali Akond as a lawyer for the next two weeks for posting derogatory comments about the judiciary on his personal Facebook account recently.

The apex court directed Eunus Ali Akond not to practice law before the Appellate and High Court Divisions of the SC for two weeks.

A four-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain also summoned Eunus, directing him to appear before this court at 9:30am on October 11 to explain his conduct.

The apex court came up with the order on a suo moto (voluntary) move after Additional Attorney General Murad Reza placed Eunus' Facebook statuses before the court.

At the same time, the SC today ordered the Bangladesh Telecommunication and Regulatory Commission to immediately remove the derogatory posts given by Eunus Ali Akond from Facebook and to block him from the social site, Murad Reza, also the acting attorney general said.

Earlier on August 12 this year, the SC had issued a contempt of court rule against another lawyer Syed Mamun Mahbub for posting a derogatory status about the chief justice and the judiciary on Facebook on August 11.

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.