Two courts in Dhaka have rejected the bail petitions filed by BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia. The two cases revolved around celebrations of her “fake” Birthday and undermining the country's map, national flag, and Liberation War legacy.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Khurshid Alam rejected the bail petition in the “fake” birthday case while Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Ahsan Habib rejected the bail plea in the other case.
Earlier on June 21, the courts fixed July 5 to pass their orders on the bail petitions of Khaleda Zia in the two cases.
Khaleda's lawyers Advocate Sanaullah Miah filed the petitions before the two courts on April 12.
On November 17, 2016, a Dhaka court issued an arrest warrant against Khaleda Zia in the “fake” birthday case on National Mourning Day on August 15.
Former joint general secretary of Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) Gazi Zahirul Islam filed the case with the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's court accusing Khaleda of provoking people by celebrating her “fake” birthday on August 15.
The case was filed under sections 198 and 469 of the Code of Criminal Procedures (CrPC).
In his complaint, Jahirul Islam said Khaleda's date of birth was is August 15, 1946 in her passport but August 9, 1944 in her marriage registration and September 5, 1946, in her SSC mark sheet.
On November 3, 2016, AB Siddique, president of Jananetri Parishad, filed the other case with a court accusing Khaleda of undermining the country's map, the national flag and the Liberation War legacy.
On February 8, a special court sentenced Khaleda to five years in jail in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case. Since then she has been kept in Old Dhaka Central Jail.