Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain yesterday assigned a High Court bench to hear and dispose of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia's writ petitions regarding the cancellation of her nomination papers.

The bench of Justice JBM Hassan fixed 2:00pm today for hearing the three writ petitions, Deputy Attorney General Motaher Hossain Sazu told The Daily Star.

Khaleda on Sunday filed the petitions challenging the Election Commission's rejection of her appeals against cancellation of her nomination papers (Bogura-6, 7 and Feni-1) by returning officers.

The CJ assigned the HC bench to hear the petitions after receiving the split order in detail from the two HC judges concerned, Md Saifur Rahman, special officer at the Supreme Court, told this correspondent yesterday.

Earlier in the day, the CJ sent the split order to the HC judges concerned and asked them to write the order in detail including the reasons, he added.

On Tuesday, Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, senior judge of the HC bench, wanted to direct the EC to accept Khaleda's nominations and allow her to contest the December 30 polls.

He also wanted to issue a rule on the EC asking it to explain why its decision on Khaleda's nominations should not be declared illegal.

However, Justice Md Iqbal Kabir Lytton, junior judge of the bench, disagreed on the senior judge's order.

Khaleda filed the three writ petitions seeking HC directives on the EC to accept her nomination papers so that she could run in the polls.

She also prayed to the HC to issue a rule asking the EC why its decisions on her nomination papers should not be declared illegal, said Khaleda's lawyer Kayser Kamal.

The BNP chief landed in jail on February 8 after a special court in Dhaka had sentenced her to five years' imprisonment in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case. The HC later extended her jail term to 10 years.

The same court on October 29 had sentenced Khaleda to seven years' rigorous imprisonment in the Zia Charitable Trust graft case.

SC DIRECTIVES ON BNP NOMINEES

The Supreme Court yesterday extended its chamber judge's order that stayed the HC directives clearing the way for BNP leaders Ruhul Kuddus Talukder Dulu and Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku to contest the national election.

A seven-member bench of the Appellate Division of the SC, headed by the chief justice, came up with the order after hearing two petitions filed by the EC seeking stay on the HC orders.

Following the order, Dulu and Tuku cannot take part in the election, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam and Dulu's lawyer Aminul Haque Helal told reporters.

The attorney general said the two BNP leaders were convicted and sentenced to imprisonments by the trial courts concerned in criminal cases.

The EC had rejected their appeals against the cancellation of their nomination papers by ROs. But the HC on Monday stayed the EC's decisions as the court had earlier stayed their convictions and jail sentences, the attorney general said.

According to Alam, if any person is convicted and sentenced to more than two years' imprisonment for moral turpitude, he or she may not be eligible to contest the election as per article 66(2) (d) of the constitution.

On Tuesday, Justice Hasan Foez Siddique, chamber judge of the Appellate Division, stayed for a day the HC's order approving on their candidacies. The judge gave the order in response to appeals filed by the EC.

TAMIZ UDDIN

The SC yesterday stayed for a day the HC order that halted the EC's decision allowing BNP nominee Tamiz Uddin to contest the national polls from Dhaka-20.

Justice Hasan Foez Siddique, chamber judge of the Appellate Division, passed the order following a petition filed by Tamiz seeking stay on the HC order.

The chamber judge also sent Tamiz's petition to the full bench of the apex court for its hearing today, Shanjid Siddique, a lawyer for Tamiz, told The Daily Star.

He said Tamiz, chairman of Dhamrai upazila, would contest the election if the full bench extended the apex court chamber judge's order.

On Tuesday, the HC stayed the EC decision that allowed Tamiz to run in the polls.

The HC passed the order following a writ petition filed by the Awami League candidate in the constituency, Benzir Ahmed, challenging the EC's decision to allow Tamiz to contest the polls claiming that he was holding the profitable post of upazila chairman.

AFZAL H KHAN

In another development, the HC yesterday directed the EC to accept the nomination of BNP candidate Afzal H Khan (Mymensingh-1) and to allocate “sheaf of paddy” to him as his election symbol.

The bench of Justice Tariq ul Hakim and Justice Md Shohrowardi passed the order following a writ petition filed by Afzal challenging the EC's decision not to allow him to contest the election, Deputy Attorney General Amatul Karim Swapna told this correspondent.

BNP will go on hunger strike on November 1 in protest to the verdict delivered against its chief Khaleda Zia in a corruption case.

It is part of the freshly-announced three-day action programmes from tomorrow to protest the court’s verdict.

They will also stage countrywide demonstration on October 30 and will form human chains on October 31. The hunger strike has been slated for November 1.

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Rizvi Ahmed announced the programmes at a press conference it the party’s Nayapaltan central office in Dhaka this evening.

The human chain will be formed in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka while the party will seek permission from the authority to observe its mass hunger strike programme at the Institute of Engineers’ Bangladesh according to the schedule, he said.

Why the programmes?

A special court in Dhaka today sentenced BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and three others including her political secretary Harris Chowdhury seven years’ rigorous imprisonment in Zia Charitable Trust corruption case.

Khaleda and the other convicts were also fined Tk 10 lakh each, in default of which they will have to serve six more months in jail, according to the verdict which is the highest punishment under the existing law.

The court also ordered the authority concerned to attach the 42 kathas of land in favour of the state which was purchased under the name of the trust.

What allegations brought against Khaleda?

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) lodged the Zia Charitable Trust graft case against Khaleda and three others with Tejgaon Police Station in August 2011. According to the case statement, the former prime minister and three others abused their power and raised funds for the trust from unknown sources.

Why Khaleda Zia is now in jail?

Khaleda Zia landed in jail on February after a special court sentenced her to five years' rigorous imprisonment in Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case.

Who are the other convicts?

Apart from Harris Chowdhury, the two others are convicts are: Ziaul Islam Munna, assistant private secretary (APS) to Harris, and Monirul Islam Khan, APS to former Dhaka City mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia started receiving physiotherapy for arthritis yesterday afternoon at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU).

“Doctors decided to give her physiotherapy after collecting her medical history,” BSMMU Director General Brig Gen Abdullah Al Harun said.

“Right now, it is difficult to say exactly how long she will need to stay here for treatment,” he told The Daily Star.

At a media briefing held at BSMMU yesterday, Harun said that the full medical board, which was formed to examine Khaleda, would visit her this afternoon, adding that he said some members of the board have already examined her separately.

On Monday, the medical board said it would be around two weeks before they can start the main treatment as they needed to assess Khaleda's health condition first.

“Her main illness is pain in joints due to rheumatoid arthritis. She has uncontrolled diabetes and arthritis. It is necessary to bring those under control first,” Prof Abdul Jalil Chowdhury, doctor of internal medicine and head of the medical board, told the newspaper on Monday.

Khaleda was moved to BSMMU from Dhaka's old central jail on Saturday following a High Court order.

The former prime minister was sentenced to five years in jail on February 8 in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case. She was sent to prison the same day.

On Thursday, the HC asked the authorities to set up a five-member medical board, headed by Prof Jalil and Associate Prof Badrunnesa Ahmed, a BSMMU physiatrist, for Khaleda's treatment.

Government doctors, who have treated the 73-year-old BNP chief since she was imprisoned, said that she had been suffering from problems in the knees along with other ailments for a long time. Her personal doctors, who met her in the prison, said she suffered a “mild stroke” on June 5.

A Dhaka court today set September 20 for hearing on charge framing against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in 11 cases, including one filed over sedition.

Judge KM Emrul Kayesh of Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court, set up inside Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj, adjourned the hearing and fixed the new date, Additional Public Prosecutor Tapash Kumar Pal confirmed to The Daily Star.

The adjournment came following separate petitions submitted on different excuses.

Among the 11 cases, 10 were filed in the first three months of 2015 over arson attacks.

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34 CASES AGAINST KHALEDA

The other case was filed with a Dhaka court on charge of making seditious comments on freedom fighters and martyrs of the Liberation War.

Three corruption cases against Khaleda -- Gatco, Niko and Boropukuria coalmine -- are now pending with three other special courts in Dhaka.

Besides, two cases filed over undermining the national flag and celebrating "fake birthday" on August 15 are now pending with the Second Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court of Dhaka.

Moreover, several others, including three arson cases, filed against her with Cumilla's Chauddagram Police Station, are also now pending with Cumilla courts.

Khaleda Zia, who is out of jail following an executive order from the government, is now unwell and staying at her Gulshan residence.