The Supreme Court Bar Association, dominated by pro-BNP lawyers, today announced that they would boycott both the High Court and Appellate Division for four hours tomorrow in protest of the High Court verdict that enhanced BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s punishment in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case.

The lawyers will abstain from work from 9:00am to 1:00pm tomorrow, SCBA President and BNP Vice Chairman Advocate Zainul Abedin made the announcement at a press conference at the SCBA auditorium today.

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Zia Orphanage Graft Case: Khaleda's jail term raised to 10 years

Advocate Zainul Abedin, also a lawyer for Khaleda Zia, also said that the HC has enhanced the jail sentence of BNP Chairperson Khaleda in a case which is a rare incident.

Usually, the HC commutes the sentence of the accused in such cases, he also said.  

“We will decide after receiving the certified copy of the High Court verdict whether an appeal will be moved before the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court against it (High Court verdict),” Advocate Zainul said.

People have lost their faith on the judiciary, but now they are looking at the representatives of the apex court for redress, he added.

Earlier in the day, the High Court enhanced the punishment of Khaleda Zia from five years of imprisonment to 10 years in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case.

Khaleda Zia is now in jail serving a five years’ sentence handed by the Special Judge’s Court-5 of Dhaka on February 8 in the Zia Orphanage Trust Corruption case.

The court also sentenced BNP leader Tarique Rahman and four others to 10 years’ imprisonment and fined them Tk 2.1 crore, saying all six convicts would have to pay the fine in equal amount.