A Dhaka court today deferred the hearing on charge framing against 148 opposition leaders and activists to May 21. The charges brought against them are for assaulting police and creating panic among people near the BNP office at Nayapaltan on March 11.
Metropolitan Magistrate Shahriar Mahmud Adnan of Speedy Trial Court 6 deferred the hearing as the jail authorities could not produce four of the accused before the court because they were ill.
The accused include Opposition Chief Whip Zainul Abdin Farooque, BNP leaders Amanullah Aman, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, AZM Zahid Hossain, Abed Raja and Md Shajahan, and Jatiya Ganatantrik Party chief Shafiul Alam Pradhan.
Pradhan was present in the court today.
Defence counsel Sanaullah Miah filed a time petition with the court on behalf of a few leaders today, saying although the leaders had been granted bail, they were in jail in other cases.
The court accepted the time petition and fixed May 25 for the hearing on charge framing.
On March 12, Sub-Inspector Jahangir Hossain filed the case with Paltan police station under the Speedy Trial Act against 154 leaders and activists of the BNP and its allies, and 50-60 unidentified people, over the March 11 violence.
SI Mahmudul Hasan, who is investigating the case, submitted the charge sheet to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court on March 24, indicting 148 opposition men.
The court had taken cognisance of the case on March 31.
