Niko graft: HC defers till tomorrow hearing on plea to change court

The High Court today deferred till tomorrow the hearing on a writ petition filed by BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia challenging legality of a government notification that said the Niko corruption case trial against her will be held at a special court in Keraniganj Central Jail.

The court passed the deferment order after Khaleda Zia’s lawyer Advocate AJ Mohammad Ali prayed for adjournment of the hearing saying that they would submit some documents to the court.

The High Court bench of justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Md Khairul Alam was scheduled to resume the hearing on the writ petition today.

On May 13, the law ministry issued a gazette notification, saying that trials of 17 cases, including the Niko graft case, against the BNP chairperson will be held at a special court set up at building-2 in Keraniganj jail for security reasons.

Khaleda filed the petition on May 26.

Trial of Niko graft case was being held at a special court set up inside the old Dhaka central jail while trials of the 16 other cases were taking place at a makeshift court at Government Alia Madrasa in Bakshibazar.

Khaleda landed in jail on February 8 last year after being sentenced to five years’ imprisonment in Zia Orphanage Trust graft case.