HC allows Khaleda to stay 4 months more in cantt house

The High Court (HC) yesterday extended its earlier order by four months staying the government’s notice that asked BNP chief Khaleda Zia to hand over her cantonment house to the military estate office by June 30.
The HC bench, comprising Justice Syed Refat Ahmed and Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury passed the order following an extension petition filed by the BNP chairperson’s lawyers for extending its earlier order.
Earlier, three HC judges had felt embarrassed to hear the petition, while one declined saying he was not qualified to hear it. The fifth bench of the HC finally agreed to hear the petition.
On May 27, the fifth bench comprising Justice Syed Refat Ahmed and Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury stayed the latest notice for the next three months till August 26.
The court also issued a rule upon the government to show cause within three weeks as to why the notice should not be declared illegal.
The court issued the order following a writ petition filed by Khaleda Zia with the HC challenging the legality of the government’s first notice, issued on April 20, asking her to leave the cantonment house within 15 days. On May 3, two days before the deadline of the first notice, Khaleda filed the writ petition challenging the validity of the government action.
The two previous government notices regarding the allotment of the cantonment house would automatically be stayed following the HC order, according to BNP chairperson’s counsels.
A total of three notices have been served to the former prime minister for vacating her the cantonment house. In the third notice served to Begum Zia, the military lands administrator asked the former prime minister to hand over possession of the house to the Military Estate Officer of Dhaka Cantonment by June 30.
Earlier on May 7, the military estate officer served a show-cause notice (second notice) asking Khaleda Zia to explain why she should not return her cantonment house to the military estate office within May 22.
The first notice, served on April 20, asked the BNP chairperson to leave the house within 15 days. The second, a show-cause notice, asked her to explain why she should not be directed to return the estate within 15 days of receipt of the notice.
On May 3 last, the BNP chairperson filed a writ petition with the HC challenging the legality of the government’s notice that asked her to leave the cantonment house within 15 days.
 
Courtesy of The Independent