The Daily Morning Voice Online Desk: A Dhaka court today deferred till January 26 the hearing on charge framing against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in two cases filed over “undermining” the national flag and observing a “fake birthday” on August 15. Dhaka’s Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Muhammad Asaduzzaman Nur passed the order after Khaleda’s lawyer Masud Ahmed Talukder submitted two separate petitions, seeking adjournment of the hearing in the cases. With today, the defence took 26 dates for hearing on different excuses.

In the petitions, the lawyer said Khaleda Zia could not appear before the court due to her illness. Moreover, she was not in a position to move. So, the hearing should be adjourned, Masud added. Complainants of the cases were not present at the makeshift court set up inside Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj. One of the cases was filed by AB Siddique, president of Bangladesh Jananetri Parishad, a pro-Awami League organisation, with a Dhaka court on November 3, 2016 accusing Khaleda and her late husband, former president Ziaur Rahman, of “undermining” the country’s map and national flag. The court dropped Ziaur Rahman’s name from the charges as he is dead.

The second case accusing Khaleda of celebrating her “fake birthday” on August 15, the National Mourning Day, was filed by Gazi Zahirul Islam, former joint general secretary of Dhaka Union of Journalists, with another Dhaka court on August 30, 2016.