The Law Ministry has rejected an application seeking permission for sending BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia abroad for treatment. The Law Ministry gave this opinion upon receiving an application sent by the Home Ministry in response to the request of the family of the former prime minister, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Huq told reporters at the secretariat on Sunday. Earlier, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan on Saturday (September 30, 2023) said there are legal complications regarding allowing BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia to be taken abroad for treatment. Also read: Govt sincere to ensure Khaleda Zia gets best treatment: Hasan Mahmud The home minister said that Khaleda Zia was convicted in several cases and she had been in jail. But following the appeal of her relatives, the prime minister suspended her sentence and arranged treatment at home. Arrangements have been made for her to receive the best treatment possible, he said at an event at the Institute of Diploma Engineers Bangladesh (IDEB) building in Dhaka. He said that Khaleda Zia’s brother made an appeal to take her abroad, but there are some legal complications. On September 24, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir  issued an ultimatum to the government to take necessary steps to send BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia abroad for better treatment within 48 hours, or be held responsible should anything happen to her. Also read: Khaleda Zia again moved to CCU from cabin at Evercare Hospital On September 18, the government has once again extended the suspension of Khaleda Zia’s jail term by another six months. The Security Services Division under the Home Ministry issued a notification in this regard. Khaleda Zia has to take treatment from her Dhaka residence and she will not be allowed to go abroad during this period, said the notification. BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, who has been undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka, was transferred to the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) from a cabin on Friday afternoon. Also read: Application must be submitted to Home Ministry to allow Khaleda Zia to go abroad for better treatment: Law Minister "Khaleda Zia was transferred to the CCU in the afternoon as per the recommendation of her medical board,” said her personal physician AZM Zahid Hossain. The 78-year-old former prime minister has been suffering from various ailments, including liver cirrhosis, arthritis, diabetes, kidney, lung, heart, and eye problems.

The Law Ministry on Wednesday recommended for extending BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s jail term suspension period by another six months. The recommendation was resent to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Law Minister Anisul Huq told UNB on Wednesday. Read: Petition for extending Khaleda’s sentences suspension sent to Law Ministry: Home Minister Anisul Huq said Khaleda’s sentence suspension period was extended by another six months under the previous conditions (not allowed to go abroad and to undergo medical treatment in the country). “Everything is as before, nothing new has been added,” he added. Earlier in the day, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said the petition seeking extension of Khaleda Zia’s jail term suspension was sent to the Law Ministry for scrutinizing.

The petition seeking extension  of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s jail term suspension  has been sent to the Law Ministry for scrutinising, said Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan. “We have got an application from the family of Khaleda and we have sent it to the Law Ministry,” he said. Read:Slashing VAT, taxes on essential commodities during Ramadan under consideration: Home Minister The home minister came up with the information while talking to reporters after a meeting on law and order situation on the occasion of Independence Day at the Bangladesh Secretariat. Meanwhile, Law Minister Anisul Haque said Khaleda’s petition has arrived in the ministry. “We will send the petition to the Home Ministry with our observation and the Home ministry will give its opinion on it.” On February 8, 2018, Khaleda was sent to the Old Dhaka Central Jail after a subordinate court sentenced her to five years’ imprisonment in Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case. The High Court later doubled her jail term. The former prime minister was found guilty in another corruption case the same year. Her party claims both cases are politically motivated.

As per the opinion of the Law Ministry, there is no scope in the law to allow BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia to go abroad for medical treatment, said Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan on Tuesday. “The Law Ministry in its opinion said there’s no scope in law to let Khaleda Zia go abroad for treatment. The Law Ministry gave its opinion with the explanation of the relevant law, and we’re reviewing it,” he said while talking to reporters at the Secretariat on Tuesday. Read: Khaleda’s plea to go abroad: Law Ministry forwards opinion to Home Ministry The opinion of the ministry will be sent to the Prime Minister after its review, the home minister said. On Monday, the Law Ministry forwarded its opinion to the Home Ministry on an application seeking permission to allow Khaleda Zia to go abroad for treatment.

The Law Ministry on Monday forwarded its opinion to the Home Ministry on an application seeking permission to allow BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia to go abroad for treatment. Law Minister Anisul Haque told reporters at the Secretariat that he sent the legal opinion on the application of the BNP chief’s family to the Home Ministry. Declining to elaborate, he said, “We’ve given our opinion on the application of Khaleda Zia’s brother, and sent it to the Home Ministry.” Also read: Khaleda’s treatment abroad: HC likely to hear petition Wednesday The minister said the Home Ministry will now send the file to the Prime Minister's Office for approval. “I can’t disclose it to you (journalists) now as I have to keep it secret until the Prime Minister sees it,” he said. He said the decision on the plea will be known once the Prime Minister clears it. CrPC Replying to a question, the Law Minister said there is no scope to reconsider the ‘’past and closed transactions’’ under the six-sub sections of 401 of the Criminal Code of Procedure (CrPC). Anisul said the explanation he gave earlier on the legal barrier to reconsider an application that was disposed of earlier under section 401 is lawful. “I think my explanation was right.” On December 5, the Law Minister said the government is assessing whether there is any legal option to allow BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia to go abroad for medical treatment. “As there’re many applications, including from lawyers, I think it’s appropriate to come to a well-thought-out decision after examining all aspects and whether there is any scope to do something in any way,” he added. Also read: Law will move on its own pace, Anisul says on Khaleda's treatment abroad Khaleda, a 76-year-old former prime minister, has been receiving treatment at Evercare Hospital for various health complications since November 13. The BNP chief’s medical board members on November 28 said she immediately needs to go abroad for better treatment as she was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis. On behalf of her family, Khaleda's younger brother, Shamim Iskander, submitted an application to the Home Ministry on November 11 seeking permission to take her abroad for treatment. Though the government earlier twice turned down such applications, it is taking time to dispose of the fresh plea of the BNP chief’s family. On November 28, the Law Minister told parliament that Khaleda is now free as she is not in government custody. He also said as Khaleda was temporarily released under section 401 of the Criminal Code of Procedure based on some conditions, including not leaving the country, there is no provision in the law to allow her to go abroad now until she submits a fresh petition after returning to jail. BNP leaders and pro-BNP lawyers, however, have long been arguing that the government has the unlimited authority to take any decision in this regard under section 401 of the Criminal Code of Procedures. The party has also been observing various programmes since November 25 demanding that the BNP chief be allowed to go abroad as there is no advanced cnetre in Bangladesh to treat her liver cirrhosis problem.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan on Thursday said the process to extend the suspension of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia's sentences in two graft cases is underway. “We’ve received an application and it has been sent to the Law Ministry following the procedure, and now the process is underway as per the Law Ministry’s opinion,” he said while speaking at the Secretariat. On September 12, Law Minister Anisul Huq said BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia must return to jail for submitting a fresh application to seek permission to go abroad for treatment. Read:Khaleda must return to jail for seeking permission to go abroad: Law Minister Talking to UNB, Anisul also said his ministry has already given an opinion for extending further by six months the suspension of Khaleda’s jail sentences following an application submitted by her family to the government. “There’s no scope to reconsider the application seeking permission to send Khaleda Zia abroad under section 401 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). She has to go back to jail and then submit a fresh application if she wants to go abroad for treatment,” the minister said. He, however, said it does not mean that the application will be approved once Khaleda submits it to the government. “It depends on the government's wishes.” Meanwhile, the family of Khaleda Zia recently submitted an application to the Home Ministry seeking further extension of her conditional release and allowing her to go abroad for receiving advanced treatment. Read:Khaleda’s family seeks permission again to send her abroad The Home Ministry sent the application to the Law Ministry a few days back seeking its legal opinion. The Law Ministry gave its opinion on September 7 and sent it back to the Home Ministry which is supposed to be sent to the Prime Minister’s Office for approval.

BNP MP Rumeen Farhana alleged in Parliament on Wednesday that police stations in the country do not want to register complaints of families of those who are subjected to enforced disappearances for lack of rule of law in the country. Speaking on a cut-motion on Law Ministry, she said three people — trader Noman, madrasa student Nasim and mosque Imam Shohidul in Narayanganj’s Araihazar -- remained missing for nearly a month. Having failed to get any cooperation from local police stations, Rumeen said the family members of the three missing men held a press conference in the capital seeking the whereabouts of their near ones. “Nothing can be known yet about their whereabouts and there’s no discussion about it since they aren’t celebrities.” She said Bangladesh was supposed to present a report on the country’s human rights situation to the UN Committee Against Torture (CAT) in 1999, but the report was placed nearly 20 years later under immense pressure. She said CAT expressed deep concern over the incidents enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killing, torture, snatching individual’s freedom, taking bribes and some other issues of Bangladesh after the report was submitted. Also read: Two BNP central leaders quit Besides, the BNP female MP said a report of the US State Department says that the government or its agents are involved in extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearance and torture on people while journalists and others are being harassed and arrested willfully. She said the UN and other international rights bodies repeatedly urged the government to take specific steps to prevent repression and violation of human rights by the law enforcers. “A few months back they made the same call.” Rumeen said every incident of enforced disappearance, repression on Hefazat activists, taking confessional statements by force, extrajudicial killing, torture on common people by law enforcers are crimes against humanity. “These incidents also manifest how a state has collapsed.” She said these incidents cannot happen at a regular interval if there is minimum rule of law, judiciary and minimum values of democracy in the country. Later, Law Minister Anisul Huq slammed Rumeen for raising the issues irrelevantly. Also read: AL changing democratic structure: BNP “Rumeen Farhana seems to have forgotten that I’m the law minister. We’re here talking about the issues of the Law Ministry. Everything she said was a matter for the Home Ministry, but she has imposed those on me.” The minister said the BNP MP raised the issue as she got a chance to speak. “I would like to tell her not to make irrelevant comments.” Later, speaking on a cut-motion on the Education Ministry, Rumeen said though the issues are relevant to the Home Minister, the Law Minister went to the UN and responded to these questions before the CAT. “But now he has imposed these issues on the Home Minister.” She said new universities are being set up through enacting laws, but it is necessary to think about the standards of those universities and their teachers. Stating that the UK-based QS published the world university ranking 2021, the MP bemoaned that neither Dhaka University nor Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) are there in the list of 800 prime universities. Rumeen also criticised the government for keeping the educational institutions shut for a long time showing an excuse of coronavirus when everything is open.

Awami League MP Shahiduzzaman Sarker has been made the chief of the parliamentary standing committee on the Law Ministry.The post remained vacant following demise of five times MP and former law minister Abdul Matin Khasru. Read: JS passes bill to ensure proportionate use of iodine in salt, regulate marketKhasru, elected from Cumilla-5 (Brahmmanpara and Burichong Upazila), died on April 14 at the Dhaka Combined Military Hospital.The Parliament Secretariat declared the seat vacant on April 22. Read:BHBFC to have extended areas of services; Bill lands in JSBesides, Waseqa Ayesha Khan, an AL MP elected in reserved seats for women in parliament (Women seat-7) ,was made the chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources.Shahiduzzaman Sarker was the chairman of this committee. Read: Updated Bankers’ Book Evidence coming, Bill placedChief Whip Noor-e-Alam Chowdhuryon Monday placed the proposal of reconstitution of the parliamentary committees on behalf of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Later it was passed in the parliament by voice vote. Parliament also reconstituted parliamentary standing committees on the Ministry of Religious Affairs and the Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry.

The opinion of the Law Ministry on allowing BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia to go abroad was sent to the Home Ministry on Sunday. The document of the recommendation of the Law Minister was sent to the Home Ministry around 10 am, said Mohammad Rezaul Karim, public relations officer of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Ministry. On Wednesday night, Khaleda’s younger brother Shamim Iskander met Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan at his Dhanmondi residence and submitted an application seeking permission to send her abroad for advanced treatment. Also read:Khaleda tests negative for Covid BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia finally tested negative for Covid-19, 27 days after she had been infected with the deadly virus. “Madam (Khaleda) underwent the Covid test on Saturday and her report came out negative,” the BNP chief’s medical board member Dr AZM Zahid Hossain told UNB early Sunday. Another physician of her medical board said, “Madam is still being given oxygen support though her overall condition marked a little improvement. Her oxygen level is coming down to 90 percent when there's no oxygen support,” he said. The physician, wishing anonymity, said though the amount of fluid in her lungs has decreased, It's still being extracted from her lungs which is now a matter of concern. The 76-year-old BNP chief, who tested positive for Covid-19 for the second time on April 24, was admitted to Evercare Hospital on April 27 for a thorough health checkup. She was shifted to the CCU of the hospital with shortness of breath on Monday last. On April 28, a 10-member medical board, headed by Prof Shahabuddin Talukder, was formed for the treatment of Khaleda at the Evercare Hospital a day after her admission there. Also read:Khaleda’s fitness to go abroad to be assessed once permission given: Doctor Khaleda Zia tested positive for Covid-19 on April 11 as eight people at her residence were infected with the virus. She underwent the second Covid-19 test on April 24 and her report was positive. Amid the coronavirus outbreak, the government freed Khaleda Zia from jail for six months through an executive order suspending her sentences on March 25 last year. Besides, Khaleda Zia’s jail sentence was suspended as per section 114 of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and now it will be examined whether granting her permission to go abroad is possible under the section of the CrPC. On Wednesday night, Khaleda’s younger brother Shamim Iskander met Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan at his Dhanmondi residence and submitted an application seeking permission to send her abroad for advanced treatment. Also read:Law Ministry’s opinion on taking Khaleda abroad soon: Anisul On August 27 last year, the government extended her release for six more months and it was extended again for six months on March 15 last. On February 8, 2018, Khaleda was sent to the Old Dhaka Central Jail after a lower court sentenced her to five years’ imprisonment in Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case. The High Court later doubled her jail term. Khaleda was found guilty in another corruption case the same year. Her party claims both the cases are politically motivated.  

Law Minister Anisul Haq on Thursday said the opinion of his ministry on allowing BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia to go abroad will be sent to the Home Ministry soon. “Her (Khaleda’s) application was brought to me in the evening. Our opinion will be sent to the Home Ministry soon,” he said while talking to reporters from his official residence. Earlier, Khaleda Zia’s jail sentence was suspended as per section 114 of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and now it will be examined whether granting her permission to go abroad is possible under the section of the CrPC. On Wednesday night, Khaleda’s younger brother Shamim Iskander met Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan at his Dhanmondi residence and submitted an application seeking permission to send her abroad for advanced treatment. The 76-year-old BNP chief, who tested positive for Covid-19 for the second time on April 24, was admitted to Evercare Hospital on April 27 for a thorough health checkup. Also read: Allow Khaleda to go abroad for treatment: Fakhrul She was shifted to the CCU of the hospital with the shortness of breath around 4pm on Monday. Her breathing problem later eased.