DHAKA: The High Court Wednesday stayed for four weeks a police notice served upon two senior BNP leaders asking them to appear in Paltan police station to face a charge of threatening the Prime Minister.

Also, the court issued a rule asking the government to explain within two weeks why the notice upon the opposition political leaders “should not be declared illegal”.

An HC bench compressing Justice Mohammad Anwar-Ul-Haque and Justice Syed Abu Kawsar Mohammad Dabirusshan came up with the orders following a writ petition filed by BNP central committee vice-chairman Shah Moazzem and Standing Committee member Barrister Rafiqul Islam Mia.

Paltan Thana police on July 29 asked the two BNP leaders to appear before the thana on August 3 to interrogate them on charge of giving ‘death threat’ to the PM while addressing a rally on July 25.

The two leaders later filed a writ petition challenging the legality of the notice on the charge.
 
Another HC bench comprising Justice Mamnun Rahman and Justice Syeda Afsar Jahan had felt “embarrassed” during the hearing of the writ on August 2 and forwarded the petition the same day to Chief Justice Mohammad Fazlul Karim.

The CJ then sent the petition to the bench of Justice Mohammad Anwar-Ul-Haque and Justice Syed Abu Kawsar Mohammad Dabirusshan Wednesday for hearing the petition.

BDST: 02:00 HRS, AUGUST 4, 2010.