SC will likely hear Khaleda appeal today

BLHouse Report

Hearing on the contempt of court petition filed by BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia against the government and the cantonment board is likely to be started at 9:30 am today (November 29) at the Appellate Division.

The respondents in the contempt petition are Secretary to the Defense Ministry Khandker Asaduzzaman, Cabinet Secretary Md Abdul Aziz, Home Secretary Abdus Sobhan Sikder, Director of the Military Lands and Cantonments Directorate Mortuza Ahmed, its Deputy Director Shafiqul Ahmed, Military Estate officer SM Emdadul Haque, Chairman of the Cantonment Board Brig Gen Tanvir Hasan Majumder and ISPR Chief Shahinul Islam.

Begum Khaleda Zia on November 23 filed the petition for evicting her from the cantonment house forcibly before disposing of a case pending with the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court regarding it.

On the day, Chamber Judge Surandra Kumar Sinha sent the matter to the full bench of the Appellate Division and set today (November 29) for hearing on it.

The apex court will also likely to hear today a statuesque-petition filed by Khaleda Zia seeking the court's direction to keep the house's structure unchanged until the pending case is disposed of and to give back the cantonment house, from where she was evicted.

Khaleda Zia, the former Prime Minister and leader of the opposition, was evicted from her cantonment house on November 13 a day after of expiring a 30-day period that a HC judgment directed the government to allow her to vacate the residence.

The HC in its judgment, delivered on October 13, also rejected a Writ petition filed by Khaleda Zia challenging a government notice that asked her to vacate the house in the last year.

On November 8, Khaleda Zia filed the leave-to-appeal with the Appellate Division challenging the HC judgment.

On November 10, the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice ABM Khairul Haque adjourned hearing on the leave appeal till November 29.

In the meantime, the government evicted Khaleda Zia on November 13 and she filed the contempt of court on November 23.

Earlier on October 10, during hearing on the leave-to-appeal of Khaleda Zia at the Appellate, the journalists were prevented to enter the courtroom.  Protesting and condemning the embargo, they arranged a pen-abstention programme keeping their pens and pads on the ground.

However, the Registrar of the SC yesterday confirmed the reporters that the journalists would no longer be barred to enter the court room in the future.