A Dhaka court on Thursday deferred the date for formal indictment of former prime minister Khaleda Zia's son Tarique Rahman until April 17 as his lawyers prepared to challenge the court's authority to try him for a graft charge under the tough Speedy Trial Act.
The new date came as demanded by Rahman's lawyers saying they would challenge the local court's authority to frame the charge against the high profile corruption accused under Speedy Trial Act since the "preconditions" for his trial were not fulfilled.
The defence lawyers said they were preparing a petition to be filed later today to the High Court seeking its intervention to quash the case.
Meanwhile, Security people scuffled with crowds as Rahman was brought to the downtown court from the nearby high security Dhaka Central Jail in a prison van as Metropolitan Magistrate Abdur Rouf Khan was scheduled to frame charge against him in an extortion case.
Khan, however, rejected a petition by lawyers urging the court to seek an explanation from the jail authorities for not giving him "division" facilities in prison during the 30-minute appearance of Rahman, also the senior joint secretary general of Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
Jail authorities, however, earlier said Tarique did not fell in any of the 18 categories deserving the division status.
{{/usCountry}}Jail authorities, however, earlier said Tarique did not fell in any of the 18 categories deserving the division status.
{{/usCountry}}Rahman, who was arrested as part of a massive anti-corruption campaign last month from his mother's cantonment residence, faces two extortion charges, which lawyers, said could lead him to languish as long as five years in jail if convicted.