Dhaka: A court has acquitted BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, 3 others, from the case in the Global Agrotrade Private Limited (GATCO) corruption case. It has ordered the trial to begin by framing charges against 12 others.

The other two acquitted are BNP standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury and Dr. Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain.

The court of Judge Abu Taher of Dhaka Special Judge Court-3 passed the order after the hearing on Thursday (October 24).

The other accused whose trial has begun are former chairman of Chattogram Port Authority Commodore Zulfikar Ali, wife of former minister Colonel Akbar Hossain (late), Jahanara Ansar, two sons Ismail Hossain Saymon and AKM Musa Kajal, Ehsan Yusuf, former Shipping secretary Zulfikar Haider Chowdhury, former member of Chattogram Port Authority AK Rashid Uddin Ahmed and directors of Global Agrotrade Private Limited (GATCO) Shahjahan M Hasib, AM Sanwar Hossain, Syed Tanvir Ahmed, Syed Galib Ahmed and AMM Shahadat Hossain. Accused Ismail Hossain (Saymon) and Shahjahan S Hasib are absconding after getting bail from the High Court.

The hearing of the charge sheet in the case was scheduled for today. Khaleda Zia's lawyers Masud Ahmed Talukder, Joynal Abedin Mejbah, Zakir Hossain and others held a hearing seeking exemption from liability in the case.

ACC prosecutor Mir Ahmed Ali Salam opposed the state's plea.

After hearing both sides, the court ordered the three people to be exempted from liability in the case. The court also ordered the trial to begin by framing charges against 12 people.

Khaleda Zia's other lawyer Abdul Hannan Bhuiyan confirmed this.

On September 2, 2007, ACC Deputy Director Md. Golam Shahriar filed the case with Tejgaon Police Station against 13 people.

The then Prime Minister of the four-party coalition government, Khaleda Zia, and her younger son Arafat Rahman Koko were accused in the case.

Khaleda Zia and Koko were arrested the next day. The case was included under the Emergency Powers Act on September 18 of that year. The charge sheet was submitted against 24 people, including Khaleda Zia, in the case on May 13 of the following year.

The charge sheet states that the accused, in collusion with each other, caused a loss of Tk. 14 crore 56 lakh 37 thousand 616 to the state by awarding the contract to the Kamalapur Inland Container Depot (ICD) in Dhaka and the container handling work at the Chattogram Port.

Eight of the 24 accused in the case, including former minister M Saifur Rahman, have died. In addition, former Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Matiur Rahman Nizami was also acquitted from the case after his death sentence was implemented.

There is no risk of Cyclone 'Dana' forming in the Bay of Bengal entering the plains of Bangladesh, said Meteorologist Dr. Md. Bazlur Rashid.

He told reporters this information on Thursday (October 24).

Bazlur Rashid said that Cyclone 'Dana' is currently located in the northwest Bay of Bengal and adjacent areas. It may move further north-northwest. There is no risk of it entering the plains of the country. However, due to its impact, stormy winds may blow in the coastal areas along with rain.

In this situation, all seaports in the country have been asked to display local warning signal number 03 (three).

Meanwhile, due to the influence of 'Dana', the tidal height is likely to increase in the coastal rivers of Satkhira, Khulna, Bagerhat, Barguna, Barishal, Jhalakathi, Pirojpur, Patuakhali, Bhola, Laxmipur, Noakhali, Feni, Chattogram and Cox's Bazar districts.

The Meteorological Office said that the severe cyclonic storm 'Dana', which is located in the west-central Bay of Bengal and the adjacent northwest Bay of Bengal area, has moved further north-northwestwards and is currently located in the northwest Bay of Bengal and adjacent areas. It was located 570 km southwest of Chattogram Seaport, 535 km southwest of Cox's Bazar Seaport, 435 km south-southwest of Mongla Seaport and 435 km south-southwest of Payra Seaport at 12 noon today. It is likely to move further north-northwestwards and cross the north Odisha-West Bengal coast of India between Puri and Sagar Island by midnight today.

The front of the severe cyclonic storm is likely to cause heavy (44-88 mm) to very heavy (≥ 89 mm) rainfall with gusty/squeezable winds over the north Bay of Bengal and adjacent coastal areas of Bangladesh and its offshore islands and chars.

The maximum sustained wind speed within 64 km of the centre of the severe cyclonic storm is 90 kmph, increasing to 110 kmph in gusty or squally winds. The sea is very rough in the area near the centre of the severe cyclonic storm. 

After various discussions, lawsuits and investigations, the Higher Secondary Examination (HSC) results of the son of former Chattogram Education Board Secretary Professor Narayan Chandra Nath have been canceled.

The decision was taken at the Education Board's disciplinary committee meeting on Thursday (October 24) after allegations of fraud were raised.

After the meeting, Education Board Chairman Rezaul Karim informed the media about the cancellation of the student's results.

Rezaul Karim said that the Ministry of Education instructed us to take action in this regard on September 15. Earlier, the issue of result fraud was raised in the report of the investigation committee formed in this regard. As per the instructions, a disciplinary committee meeting was called on Thursday. At that meeting, it was decided to cancel the results.

While he was the examination controller of the Chattogram Education Board, this board official of Narayan Chandra Nath was accused of giving his son a GPA of 5 in the HSC examination held in 2023. Later, there were various discussions for and against this. The matter escalated to the police station. At one stage, an investigation committee was formed by the Ministry of Education.

Meanwhile, on July 9, Narayan Chandra Nath was transferred from the Education Board to the post of Director of the Department of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (DSE) Chattogram Region. After the fall of the government, he was made Officer on Special Duty (OSD) from there on September 23. Earlier, on September 15, the ministry had directed the Director General of DSHE and the Chairman of the Chattogram Education Board to take action against him (including criminal cases). At the same time, the relevant department of the Education Ministry had ordered to file criminal cases against the people involved in the fraud with him.

Students of Islamic University have taken out a joyful procession after the announcement of the ban on the fraternal organization of Bangladesh Awami League, "Bangladesh Chhatra League".

On Wednesday (October 23), at 10:30 pm, students of the student movement against discrimination took out a happy procession from the university's Ziamor. The procession circled various roads of the campus and the neighboring Sheikhpara Bazar and turned into a happy rally before reaching the administration building premises.

The students in the procession heard the news at this moment that Chhatra League has been banned; Tell everyone, tell Chhatra League news; Delhi or Dhaka, Dhaka Dhaka; Hoi Hoi Roi Roi, where has Chhatra League gone; Take each league, hurry up and size it up; Hasina has gone to India, Chhatra League will go to the grave; Action, action, direct action; Direct action against Chhatra League; Direct action against terrorists; They kept shouting slogans like "Ebian Action, Direct Action" etc.

At this time, the speakers said that this Chhatra League was involved in various terrorist activities including murder, torture, mass room-based oppression, hall seat trading, tender rigging, rape and sexual harassment. Chhatra League also attacked and injured our brothers and sisters in the July movement by indiscriminately attacking and beating them. We have been demanding the banning of this terrorist organization for a long time. Finally, our demand has been fulfilled, the terrorist organization Chhatra League has been banned on the soil of Bangladesh. We thank the interim government for this.

IU Coordinator SM Sweet said that the previous government used Chhatra League in a terrorist manner to convert the whole of Bangladesh into a prison, turned the whole of Bangladesh into a torture cell, and by banning them by law, peace has returned to the lives of the people of this country. Starting from murder and rape, there is no crime against humanity that Chhatra League has not committed. The interim government will be demanded to bring the leaders and activists of this banned terrorist organization under the law and ensure their punishment. He also demanded that the 1972 constitution be scrapped and a new constitution be formulated, stating that the hopes and aspirations of the common people were not reflected in the constitution.