A Dhaka court on Sunday set March 28 for holding hearing on charge framing in two cases lodged against BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia for celebrating fake birthday on National Mourning Day and stigmatizing the War of Liberation by rehabilitating anti-liberation forces.
Sunday was fixed for holding a hearing on the matter, but Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Asaduzzaman Noor reset the date allowing a time plea of the defence.
Journalist Gazi Jahirul Islam lodged the fake birthday case against Khaleda on August 30, 2016, and the court on that day issued summon against her.
According to the complainant, Khaleda from 1996 is celebrating her fake birthday on August 15, the day when Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was martyred along with most of his family members. She is doing this on purpose only to dishonour the Father of the Nation.
The complainant also submitted copies of different newspaper reports on Khaleda’s birthday, copies of her passport, marriage certificate and mark sheets, which indicates her birthday on any other day but August 15.
Jananetri Parishad president AB Siddiqui filed the other case on November 3, 2016, against Khaleda Zia and her late husband Ziaur Rahman for stigmatizing the War of Liberation by rehabilitating anti- Liberation War elements.
The BNP chief is on bail in both the cases as Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge KM Imrul Qayesh granted her bail on July 31, 2018.