DHAKA, March 13: A Dhaka court has rejected a petition praying for granting bail to the detained ULFA leader Anup Chetia and his two other associates.The bail plea of Bangladesh Society for Protection of Human Rights was rejected on Thursday after hearing at the additional chief metropolitan magistrate's court relating to three cases filed against the ULFA leader Chetia.
The cases related to his illegal entry to Bangladesh and possession of forged Bangladeshi passports and possessing foriegn currency illegally. The lawyer of the human rights group submitted the bail application for Chetia but the government side opposed it.
Reports said that in the bail application for the accused, it was stated that the detenue was the political leader of a neighbouring country. They have come over to this country in the face of harrassment against them in their own country. But they did not get the opportunity for praying for political asylum.
The hearing of the cases took place in the court of the additional chiefmetroplitan magistrate Mohammad Habibur Rahman.
Earlier, Bangladesh High Court on March 8 has asked the government to show cause within a week why detained ULFA leader Chetia and his two other associates should not be produced before the court to face cases against them.
A division bench of the high court has also directed the government to produce before the court relevant papers regarding the detention of Chetia alias Golap Barua and his two other associates Lakshi Prosad Goswami and Babail Sharma, now lodged in Dhaka central jail.
Chetia, secretary-general of ULFA, who was wanted in India in connection with several murder cases, was arrested here on December 21 under special powers act along with his two associates and are now lodged in high-security Dhaka central jail.
On March 4, the Bangladesh supreme court rejected a provisional petition filed by Bangladesh Human Rights Commission seeking a stay on Chetia's extradition. The rejection of the petition came after attorney-general K S Nabi assuredthe court that the government has no plan as yet to extradite Chetia.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
