Khaleda Zia acquitted in 5 defamation cases

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has been acquitted in five defamation cases, including celebrating a 'fake birthday' and defaming the Liberation War.

Two separate magistrates' courts at the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court acquitted her in these cases today (3 September).

Among them, the court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Mahbubul Haque acquitted her in four cases, and Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Tofazzal Hossain acquitted her in one case, Masud Ahmed, Khaleda Zia's lawyer, told the media.

The cases were scheduled for hearing today, but the plaintiffs did not appear in court. AB Siddique, the plaintiff in several cases, had passed away. 

Under these circumstances, Masud Ahmed Talukdar, Khaleda's lawyers, Masud Ahmed and Syed Zainal Abedin Mezbah, applied for her acquittal, and the court later acquitted her from these cases.

In the case alleging the defamation of the Liberation War, it was stated that Khaleda Zia was elected in the 2001 national parliamentary elections in alliance with Jamaat-e-Islami. 

The case alleged Khaleda of appointing leaders from Razakar and Al-Badr as ministers and MPs, allowing them "to hoist the map and national flag of independent Bangladesh in their houses and cars."

On 3 November 2016, AB Siddique, president of Jananetri Parishad, filed this defamation case against Ziaur Rahman and Khaleda Zia at the Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate's Court. The court ordered the officer in charge (OC) of Tejgaon Police Station to investigate the matter and take action.

On 25 February of the following year, Inspector Mashiur Rahman (Investigation) of Tejgaon Police Station filed a report in court confirming the allegations. 

The other defendant, Ziaur Rahman, founder of the BNP, was declared deceased and exempted from the case.

Regarding the accusation of celebrating a 'fake birthday', it is mentioned that multiple reports about Khaleda Zia's birthday were published in two national dailies in 1997. 

"According to those reports, the former prime minister's date of birth, as per her SSC exam mark sheet, is 5 September 1946," the case documents said. 

It said a report published in a newspaper on her biography stated her birthday as 19 August 1945, during her tenure as prime minister in 1991, and her marriage certificate lists her birthday as 4 August 1944. 

"Most recently, in 2001, her machine-readable passport stated her birthday as 5 August 1946," mentioned the case document. 

The case alleged that there was no record of Khaleda's birthday on 15 August, although five different birthdays were found through various means. 

"Under these circumstances, she has been celebrating her birthday by cutting cakes on National Mourning Day [15 August], the anniversary of the death of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, since 1996, instead of celebrating any of her five birthdays," the case documents said. 

On 30 August 2016, Gazi Zahirul Islam, former joint general secretary of the Dhaka Journalists Union, filed this case for the celebration of a "fake birthday."