Dhaka: Separates courts here on Tuesday granted bails to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in five cases, including one over an arson attack on a bus at Jatrabari in Dhaka last year and in Gatco graft case filed by the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC).

Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Mohammad Quamrul Hossain Molla and Judge Abu Ahmed Jamadar of Dhaka Special Judge's Court-3 passed the orders after hearing the two bail petitions in the two cases for the arson attack and in the Gatco graft case, reports UNB.

BNP leader Khandaker Mahbub Hossain also secured bail in the arson case.

Later, the BNP Chairperson appeared before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's court seeking bail in three other cases.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Zakir Hossain Tipu granted bail to Khaleda in a sedition case filed for making a controversial statement about the number of martyrs during the Liberation War in 1971.

Earlier on January 2015, Momtajuddin Ahmed Mehedi, former secretary of Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), filed a sedition case against Khaleda for making the controversial statement.

Sessions Judge Mohammad Quamrul Hossain Molla also granted bail to Khaleda in another case filed for hurling petrol bombs at the bus at Jatrabari intersection under the Special Powers Act on 24 January last year.

Besides, Dhaka Additional Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Kaisarul Alam granted the bail to the BNP chairperson in a case filed over crude bomb attack on a rally of Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan near her office in Gulshan on 17 February 2015.

Earlier in the morning, Khaleda Zia and Khandaker Mahbub Hossain surrendered to the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions. On 30 March, this court issued warrants for the arrest of Khaleda and 27 BNP-Jamaat men in the case over the arson attack at Jatrabari in the city during the BNP-led 20-party's blockade programme.

Sessions Judge Mohammad Quamrul passed the order after accepting the chargesheet against 38 people submitted by Jahidul Islam, sub-inspector of the Jatrabari Police Station.

The order came after the investigation officer showed Khaleda and 27 others fugitives, and appealed to the court to issue warrants for their arrests.

On 23 January last year, at least 31 people suffered burn injuries after miscreants hurled two petrol bombs at a bus at Jatrabari intersection. One of the injured later died at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital.

Sub-inspector of Jatrabari Police Station KM Nuruzzaman filed two cases–one for killing and another for hurling petrol bombs–under the Special Powers Act on 24 January, making Khaleda the mastermind of the attack.

On 23 February, the Dhaka Special Judge's Court-3 ordered BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia and 12 others to appear before it on 13 April in the Gatco graft case filed by the ACC.

Judge Abu Ahmed passed the order after receiving the copy of a High Court verdict in this connection.

On 15 February, the High Court ordered Khaleda to surrender before the trial court in two months as the Court (HC) released the full text of its verdict rejecting her two writ petitions challenging the legality of the graft case and its inclusion under the Emergency Powers Act.

On 2 September 2007, the ACC filed the Gatco graft case against Khaleda, her younger son Arafat Rahman Koko, Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Motiur Rahman Nizami and 10 others for causing a loss of Tk 145.64 crore to the national exchequer by allegedly awarding the contract of container handling at the Chittagong port and the Dhaka's Inland Container Depot to Gatco.

Khaleda on 27 September 2007 filed a petition with the HC challenging the legality of the inclusion of the case under the Emergency Powers Act and seeking a stay order on the trial proceedings.

In 2008, a High Court bench issued a rule and stayed the trial proceedings after hearing the petition of the BNP chief.

In the same year, the graft case proceedings were stayed again as Khaleda filed another petition challenging its legality.