A Supreme Court lawyer has appealed to President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina requesting the remission of penalty and release of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia from jail on humanitarian grounds.
Advocate Eunus Ali Akond sent letters to the president and the prime minister, with copies to secretaries of the Law and Justice Division of the Law Ministry, the Home Ministry, and the Parliament Secretariat on Tuesday by post.
Akond requested the remission of penalty and release of Khaleda on humanitarian grounds, referring to Articles 11, 48(3), and 49 of the constitution.
The lawyer sent the letters on his own volition without discussing the matter with the BNP or Khaleda Zia's family.
Asked about the matter, BNP General Secretary Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said it was Akond’s personal decision.
“It is not clear to us why he did this or if there is any motive behind this,” Fakhrul told UNB.
According to Supreme Court sources, though, Eunus Ali Akond frequently approached the courts with petitions regarding the most discussed issues of the country. He is a candidate for the position of
Supreme Court Bar Association president this year, as he has been a few times before. He was the Jatiya Party candidate for the Dhaka-8 constituency at the 2018 national election.
Earlier on Sunday, Khaleda’s family submitted an application to the Home Ministry seeking her release.
On Saturday, Khaleda’s sister urged the government to release the BNP chairperson on humanitarian grounds.
Later on Monday, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said the family’s appeal for the release of Khaleda had been sent to the Law Ministry for its legal opinion.
