ICT sets Jun 19 for contempt hearing against Hasina, Bulbul

The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has set Jun 19 for a full hearing on a contempt of court case against ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and former Chhatra League leader Shakil Alam Bulbul after both failed to appear in court despite being publicly summoned.

The three-strong tribunal, headed by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumdar, fixed the date on Tuesday after Chief Prosecutor Md Tajul Islam informed the court that neither of the accused respondent to the summons issued through newspaper notices.

On May 25, the tribunal ordered the publication of notices in two national dailies, which appeared the following day.

The contempt charges stem from comments made about the July Uprising case.

In a leaked audio recording, later verified by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) as Hasina’s voice, she reportedly said: “I’ve had 227 cases filed against me, so I’ve got a licence to kill 227 people.”

The ICT accepted the contempt plea on Apr 30 and ordered both accused to submit written responses by May 15.

When they failed to comply, the court ordered their appearance on May 25, which was also ignored.

The court then approved newspaper summons at the chief prosecutor’s request.