The Supreme Court has upheld a High Court order that granted six-month’s bail to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in two defamation cases.
A three-member Appellate Division bench, led by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, passed the order on Monday.
The court rejected the petitions filed seeking stay on the bail orders in the cases filed against her in Narail and Dhaka; the cases center on her making “derogatory remarks” about freedom fighters and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Advocate AJ Mohammad Ali represented Khaleda while Attorney General Mahbubey Alam did so for the state, reports UNB.
The High Court granted six-month’s bail to the BNP chief in the defamation cases filed against her in Narail and Dhaka on August 13 and 14, respectively.
On December 21, 2015, Khaleda Zia at a discussion at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh, raised a question about the actual number of Liberation War martyrs.
She said: "There are controversies over how many were martyred in the Liberation War. There are many books and documents on the controversies."
Reacting to Khaleda's remarks, Raihan Farooque Imam of Naragati in Narail filed the case with the Cognizance Court on December 24, 2015.
On January 5, 2016, AB Siddiqui, president of Jananetri Parishad, filed the case with Dhaka's Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court.