A Dhaka court today granted a time petition submitted by BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in a sedition case filed over her comments on the number of Liberation War martyrs, and asked her to appear before it on April 10.

Metropolitan Magistrate Jakir Hossain Tipu passed the order after Khaleda’s lawyer filed the petition.

In the petition, the lawyer said Khaleda could not appear before the court today due to illness. If the time is allowed, she can appear before it on the next scheduled date.

Meanwhile, the complainant of the case appealed to the court to issue an arrest warrant against Khaleda for her non-appearance before it today.

Earlier, the BNP chief was summoned today (March 3) following the sedition suit.

The case was filed by Momtaz Uddin Ahmad Mehedi, a Supreme Court lawyer who is also a member of ruling Awami League's central committee.

Khaleda, on December 21 last year said, “There are controversies over how many were martyred in the Liberation War. There are also many books and documents on the controversy.”

Her comments drew widespread flak and sparked protest among pro-liberation quarters.