A Dhaka court on Sunday set March 14 for holding a hearing on charge framing in two cases lodged against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia for celebrating a fake birthday on the National Mourning Day and stigmatizing the Liberation War by rehabilitating anti-liberation forces.
Sunday was fixed for holding a hearing on the matter, but Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Asaduzzaman Noor reset the date allowing a time plea of the defence.
Journalist Gazi Jahirul Islam lodged one of the cases against Khaleda on August 30, 2016, and the court on that day issued summon against her.
According to case details, the journalist alleged, Khaleda from 1996 has been celebrating her fake birthday on August 15, the day when Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was assassinated along with most of his family members. She is doing this on purpose only to dishonour Bangabandhu.
The complainant also submitted copies of different newspaper reports on Khaleda’s birthday, copies of her passport, marriage certificate and mark sheets, which indicates her birthday on any other day but August 15.
The other case was filed by Jananetri Parishad president AB Siddiqui on November 3, 2016, against Khaleda and her late husband Ziaur Rahman for stigmatizing the 1971 War of Independence by rehabilitating anti-liberation elements.
The BNP chief is currently out on bail in both cases since July 31, 2018.
