The Appellate Division on Monday upheld the High Court order that stayed the trial proceedings against Dhallywood actress Pori Moni in a case filed under the Narcotics Control Act. A three-member bench of the Appellate Division led by Appeal Division Judge Justice Md Nuruzzaman passed the order following the state’s appeal against the HC order. The court also ordered disposing of the HC rule over charge framing against Pori Moni in six months. Read more: SC clears way to continue trial against Pori Moni Advocate ZI Khan Panna and Advocate Shah Monjurul Hoque appeared for Pori Moni in the court today. Advocate Monjurul said the trial proceeding of the case will remain suspended for six months and the HC rule should be disposed of by this period. Otherwise, the trial court may start the trial proceeding of the case after this period, he added. On March 1 last year, High Court stayed the trial proceeding of the case for three months. It also issued a rule asking the government to explain as to why the order of charge framing against Pori Moni should not be revoked. Judge of Dhaka Special Judge of Court-10 Md Nazrul Islam indicted Pori Moni and two others in the case on January 5 last year. On January 30, Pori Moni appealed before the High Court for quashing the case and subsequent indictment by the trial court. Read more: Drug case against Pori Moni: HC stays trial proceedings for 3 months On November 15 2021, Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge KM Emrul Kayesh took into cognizance the charges framed by police against the accused. On October 4, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) submitted a charge sheet against them. Pori Moni was arrested on August 4, following a raid by RAB on her Banani residence. A case was filed against her under the Narcotics Control Act the following day. On August 31, 2021, a Dhaka court granted bail to Pori Moni in the narcotics case. She had walked out of jail the following day.

The trial of a corruption case against Prashanta Kumar Halder (PK Halder), disgraced director of International Leasing and Finance Service Ltd (ILFSL), and 13 others began at a Dhaka court on Thursday. Justice Mohammad Nazrul Islam of Dhaka Special Judge Court-10 recorded testimony of Mamunur Rashid Chowdhury, an Assistant Director of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and the plaintiff of the case. The court has fixed October 13 for the cross-examination of Mamunur’s statement. On September 8, the court framed charges against the accused. The other accused in the case are PK Harder’s mother Lilabati Halder, Purnima Rani Halder, Uttam Kumar Mistri, Amitabh Adhikari, Pritish Kumar Halder, Rajib Som, Subratra Das, Ananga Mohan Ray, Swapan Kumar Mistri, Abantika Baral, Shankha Bepari, Sukumar Mridha and Anindita Mridha. Among the accused, Abantika, Shankha, Sukumar and Anindita were arrested and sent to jail. Read: PK Halder, 13 others indicted in money laundering case According to the case statement, PK Halder has acquired wealth worth almost Tk 275 crore beyond known sources of income through illegal activities and kept them in his possession. The ACC investigated the case and submitted a charge sheet to the court. In the charge sheet, the anti-graft watchdog accused Halder of laundering CAD 1.17 crore to Canada through illegal means. The corruption case against Halder was lodged with ACC’s Dhaka Coordinated Office by Mamunur on January 8, 2020. On May 13 this year, India's federal economic offences police arrested PK Halder and his two associates from the eastern state of West Bengal.   He is now in Indian jail. 

The trial proceedings of both the divisions of the Supreme Court will be conducted in physical presence maintaining health protocols from Sunday following a downtrend in Covid infections. Mohammad Saifur Rahman, special officer of the Supreme Court, said this on Thursday. Earlier on January 19, the Supreme Court started virtual trial proceedings as per the instruction of Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique as a number of judges and staff were found infected with Covid-19. Read: Covid-19 in Bangladesh: CJ hints at reverting to virtual trial proceedings The Cabinet on May 7, 2020 cleared the draft of an ordinance to pave the way for courts to run trial proceedings through video conferences and other digital means using the information technology. On May 9, an ordinance was promulgated allowing courts to run trial proceedings through video conferences and availing of other digital facilities. President Abdul Hamid promulgated the ordinance. On May 10, the High Court formed three benches for hearing urgent cases virtually and directed the subordinate courts concerned to hear cases related to emergency bail.

The trial proceedings of both the Appellate Division and the High Court of the Supreme Court will be conducted virtually from Wednesday due to spike in Covid cases in the country. The Supreme Court administration on Tuesday issued two notifications in this regard being instructed by Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique. According to the notifications, all the judicial proceedings of the Appellate division and the High Court will be conducted virtually under the ‘Use of Information Technology by Courts Act, 2020’ and the Practice Direction issued in this regard from Wednesday. Also read: 22 lower court judges infected with Covid-19 during training Earlier in the morning, while conducting a judicial proceeding at the Appellate Division, Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique said, “Citing the worsening Covid-19 situation, it seems that we'll have to conduct trials through virtual courts again. Many cases were disposed of during the virtual court hearing.” Thirteen judges of the High Court division and a number of judges and staff have been found infected with Covid-19, he added. Besides, Biswajit Debnath, deputy attorney general, who was present at the court, said, “Our Attorney General and Additional Attorney General were found infected with Covid-19 and a number of lower court judges were also infected with the virus.” The activities in all courts of the country remained suspended for several days due to the Covid-19 surge. The Cabinet on May 7, 2020 cleared the draft of an ordinance to pave the way for courts to run trial proceedings through video conferences and other digital means using the information technology. On May 9, an ordinance was promulgated allowing courts to run trial proceedings through video conferences and availing of other digital facilities. President Abdul Hamid promulgated the ordinance. Also read: Judicial activities of SC to remain suspended Monday On May 10, the High Court formed three benches for hearing urgent cases virtually and directed the subordinate courts concerned to hear cases related to emergency bail. All the judicial activities of benches under the High Court division of the Supreme Court resumed virtually from August 11, 2020. However, the judicial activities of both the High Court and Supreme Court divisions conducted in physical presence maintaining health protocols from December 1, 2021.

The Appellate Division on Sunday upheld the High Court Division’s order that had stayed the trial proceedings in four more arson and vandalism cases against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia filed with Darussalam and Jatrabari Police Stations in the capital in 2015.

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Monday upheld the High Court Division order that stayed trial proceedings in four sabotage cases against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.

A total of 144 people secured bail after their petitions were heard by virtual courts on Tuesday.