The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

The Supreme Court Wednesday refused to entertain Ani-Corruption Commission plea for clearing the way for it to proceed with Tarique trial in a graft case.

A 7-member full hierarchy of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court rejected the ACC petition for extending the highest court's stay on the High Court order that had stalled the case proceedings against the detained BNP senior joint secretary general, Tarique Rahman.

The full court, headed by Chief Justice M Ruhul Amin, passed the order turning down the Anti-Corruption Commission plea for afresh stay as it prefers leave to appeal against the High Court orders. The apex court, however, fixed April 28 for hearing the leave-to-appeal petition against the High Court orders. Today's court orders set at rest the graft-case proceedings against Tarique, detained former premier Khaleda Zia's elder son. On October 4 last year, the Appellate Division, upon an ACC prayer, had stalled for three weeks the High Court order of stay on the proceedings of the graft case against Tarique, directing the ACC to file a regular leave petition in the meantime.

The apex court in its order also had given a warning to the anti-corruption watchdog that, if it failed to do so, the SC stay 'shall stand vacated'.

Earlier on October 1, the High Court, following a writ petition filed by Tarique challenging the validity of the graft case, had issued a rule upon the ACC and stayed the operation of the case proceedings. The case is now pending with the court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Dhaka.