Khaleda asked to vacate in a month
HC declares govt notice on cantonment house valid; her counsels stunned by verdict
This file photo shows the entrance to the cantonment residence once allocated to Khaleda Zia, and now taken back by the government.
The High Court yesterday declared valid the government notice asking BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia to vacate her Shaheed Mainul Road residence in Dhaka Cantonment within a month.The court came up with this verdict after rejecting a writ petition filed by Khaleda Zia challenging the government notice.
An HC bench comprised of Justice Nazmun Ara Sultana and Sheikh Hassan Arif also vacated its stay order on the notice.Details of the verdict could not be known immediately.Khaleda's principal counsel TH Khan said they are stunned by the HC judgement. "We will decide on filing an appeal with the Supreme Court against the judgement after consulting our leader," he said.
Another counsel for Khaleda, requesting anonymity, however told this correspondent that they must file an appeal against the HC verdict.In 1981, the then president Justice Abdus Sattar allotted the house on165 kathas of land to Khaleda on a so-called lease deed for one taka in violation of constitutional provisions and laws.
Talking to journalists at his office following the HC verdict, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said, "Justice Sattar had given the property to Khaleda Zia to show his loyalty to her."
Before giving the cantonment house, Sattar government had also allocated 1.5 bighas of land at Gulshan in the capital, and given Tk 10 lakh and other facilities to Khaleda and her two sons.The cantonment residence was earmarked for the deputy chief of the army staff, and it was allotted to Khaleda on the recommendation of the then quarter master general Amzad Ahmed Chowdhury.
After the BDR carnage in February last year, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina urged Khaleda Zia to leave the cantonment house so that the government can construct multi-storeyed buildings there for the family members of the carnage victims.The AG said, "If she (Khaleda) would respond to the prime minister's request, the matter would not have come to the High Court."
The government on April 8 last year cancelled the allotment of the house "due to a number of anomalies regarding the allotment within the military zone".The irregularities include Khaleda's carrying out political activities from the house, which goes against a condition of the allotment. Besides, no one can be allotted two government houses in the capital, and a civilian cannot get a house on lease within a cantonment.
The government also said unauthorised changes and extensions of the structure were made violating the code of conduct for a military area.Originally, the house was official residence of the deputy chief of army staff, then that of the chief of army staff and finally of the president when Ziaur Rahman held the posts.
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