High Court cancels sedition case against Khaleda Zia

The High Court has cancelled the sedition case filed against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia over her remarks about the number of martyrs in the Liberation War.

The verdict was delivered by the High Court bench of Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayet Hossain after hearing an appeal on Wednesday.

Barristers Mahbub Uddin Khokon and Kaiser Kamal represented Khaleda Zia, with Senior Advocate Zainul Abedin, Advocate Gazi Kamrul Islam Sajal, Barrister Nasir Uddin Asim, and Advocate Zakir Hossain also present.

The court said that the case required permission from the home ministry, which was not obtained prior to filing.

In December 2015, Advocate Moshiur Malek, president of Bangabandhu Foundation, filed the case against Khaleda Zia under Section 123(a) of the Bangladesh Penal Code for “blasphemy against the state” and “advocating the abrogation of state sovereignty.”

This followed Khaleda's remarks at a discussion organized by the Nationalist Freedom Fighters at the Engineers Institution Bangladesh on December 21, 2015, where she reportedly questioned the number of martyrs in the Liberation War and the role of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Atiqur Rahman subsequently directed Shahbagh police to conduct an investigation.

However, the High Court has now ruled that the case was invalid as it lacked the necessary governmental authorization.