Khaleda summoned in sedition case on March 23

A court here on Monday summoned BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia to appear before it on March 23 in a sedition case to explain her comments on the number of 1971 martyrs. Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Rashed Talukdar passed the ordered after taking cognizance of the treason charge against the BNP chief under sections 123 (A), 124 (A) and 505 of Bangladesh Penal Code.Earlier in the day, Supreme Court lawyer Momtaz Uddin Ahmed Mehedi, also a member of executive body of Bangladesh Awami League, filed the case with the court, urging it to issue a warrant for Khaleda’s arrest.Former home minister advocate Sahara Khatun, Abdul Mannan Khan, public prosecutor of Dhaka District and Sessions Judge’s court and Mohammad Abdullah Abu, public prosecutor of Dhaka Metropolitan Session Judge’s court stood for the petitioner. Pro-BNP lawyers demonstrated outside the court protesting the acceptance of the treason charge against Khaleda. They also raised slogans against the government. On December 21 last, Khaleda Zia at a discussion at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh raised questions about the actual number of Liberation War martyrs saying, “There’re controversies over how many were martyred in the Liberation War. There’re also many books and documents on the controversies.”Her remarks triggered widespread criticisms.Two days later on December 23, lawyer Mehedi sent a legal notice to the BNP chairperson, asking her to apologise to the nation for her comments on the number of the Liberation War martyrs. In the notice, he also demanded that the BNP chief withdraw her statement within seven days, and warned of filing a case against her under both criminal and civil laws if she did not apologise.The lawyer also alleged that Khaleda through her remarks exposed her seditious attitude. As the BNP chief did not respond to the notice, Mehedi sought the Home Ministry’s approval last week to lodge the case.On January 21, the Home Ministry approved filing of the sedition case against Khaleda.Meanwhile, Khaleda’s adviser and Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president Khandaker Mahbub Hossain on Sunday claimed that there was nothing seditious in the BNP chief’s remark about martyrs who laid down their lives during the 1971 Liberation War.”Khaleda’s remarks were correct. Those are not seditious as per section 124 (a) of the code of criminal procedure which defines sedition,” he said while talking to reporters at his SCBA office.He said, they will ensure authentic information on the number of martyrs if BNP returns to power. “This will be included in the election manifesto of BNP during the next election.”In an instant reaction, BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir yesterday (Monday) termed the sedition case against their chairperson mockery and said this was done just out of political vengeance to remove her from politics.