Ashutosh Sarkar

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia cannot contest the upcoming parliamentary election as the Supreme Court yesterday upheld the High Court ruling barring a person sentenced to more than two years in jail from taking part in elections even if an appeal against the conviction is pending.

The High Court has stressed the need for a strong message to avert brutal crimes like the abduction and killing of seven men in Narayanganj in 2014.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia may file separate appeals this week challenging her conviction and jail sentence in the Zia Charitable Trust and Zia Orphanage Trust graft cases with an aim to contest the upcoming parliamentary polls.

The High Court is yet to hear the probe reports on the 2012 communal attacks on Buddhists in Ramu of Cox's Bazar although five years have elapsed since their submission.

More than 14 years have passed since a trial court handed punishment to 11 perpetrators for the killing of four national leaders inside the erstwhile Dhaka central jail, but their sentence is yet be implemented.

The High Court enhances the punishment of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia from five years of imprisonment to 10 years in Zia Orphanage Trust Corruption case.

In June 2015, the Supreme Court ordered the High Court to quickly hear and dispose of 27 appeals that had challenged verdicts in as many corruption cases.

Nearly three decades ago, section 16(2) was dropped from the Special Powers Act, 1974. But strangely, police filed a case under the section and even arrested two accused in Manikganj's Singair this May.

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has been facing an acute shortage of judges as no new judges have been appointed to the court for more than two years despite the retirement, resignation and death of some judges.

The High Court yesterday expressed utmost dissatisfaction and disappointment with the Anti-Corruption Commission for the long delay in completing investigations in the cases over BASIC Bank loan scams.

Chemical or DNA tests must be conducted in all rape or sexual assault cases, and the DNA and other samples should be sent to lab within 48 hours of the occurrence.

The High Court has issued directives for properly and quickly settling the “enemy property” cases and ordering public officials not to make any attempt in future to include any property in the official gazette as “vested” one.

Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, a senior judge of the Supreme Court, was appointed the 22nd chief justice of the country yesterday, superseding Justice Md Abdul Wahhab Miah, who had been discharging duties of the chief justice for the last four months.

The High Court yesterday upheld the death sentences of five former Chhatra League activists and acquitted four others in the Jahangirnagar University student Zubair Ahmed murder case.

The High Court yesterday gave a split order on the legality of article 70 of the constitution, which deals with the cancellation of membership of MPs for voting against their political party.

In an unprecedented instance, the office of the chief justice has remained vacant for 56 days. In the past, the longest period the post lay vacant was less than two weeks, that too under extraordinary circumstances.

The Supreme Court yesterday accepted the disciplinary rules formulated by the government for the lower court judges.

The law ministry has finally issued a gazette notification on the discipline of the lower court judges, keeping the president's authority to control their conducts in consultation with the Supreme Court.

The law ministry has finalised the disciplinary rules for lower court judges in line with article 116 of the constitution, which allows the president to control their postings, promotions and leaves in consultation with the Supreme Court.

The High Court has confirmed death penalty for 139 out of 152 accused who were given capital punishment by a lower court for their involvement in the massacre during the BDR mutiny in 2009.