The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

The hearing on government appeal against the High Court judgment having declared illegal the sanction for trying ex-PM Sheikh Hasina in an extortion case under the EPR and set aside the trial proceedings has been adjourned until April 23.

A 7-member full hierarchy of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice M Ruhul Amin, passed the adjournment order, after hearing the argument by Additional Attorney General Salah Uddin Ahmed for the last three consecutive days.

During the hearing, the court asked the state attorney about the consequences of government sanction placing a scheduled offence for trial under the Emergency Power Rules (EPR).

"A detained accused will not get bail, speedy trial is ensured and any such convict would be disqualified from contesting any local or parliamentary election until his/her appeal against sentence is resolved," Salah Uddin told the court.

On February 6, the High Court, upon a writ petition filed by the detained Awami League president, Sheikh Hasina, had declared illegal the government sanction placing the extortion case against her for trial under the EPR and quashed the entire trial proceedings.

On February 26, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court upon an application had granted the government leave to appeal against the HC rulings, fixing March 16 for its hearing.

The apex court at the same time had also stayed the operation of the High Court judgment and stalled the trial of the extortion case against Hasina under the EPR until the appeal is resolved.

Azam J Chowdhury, Managing Director of East Coast Trading Pvt. Ltd., filed the Tk 3-crore extortion case against Hasina and her detained cousin and ex-minister Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim on June 13 last year with Gulshan police station.

Hasina was arrested from her Dhanmondi house a month after the filing of the case, when a crackdown was launched on former ruling politicians in the current interim period.

Later, her younger sister Sheikh Rehana, living in London, was also implicated in the case after police investigations.