Dhaka: A Dhaka court on Thursday issued warrants for the arrest of three people, including Bangladesh Nationalist Party senior vice-chairman Tarique Rahman, in a sedition case filed in 2015.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Sarafuzzaman Ansari issued the arrest warrants after taking cognisance of the chargesheet submitted against four accused in the case, including Tarique and ETV chairman Abdus Salam.  

On September 6, DB inspector Imdadul Haque, also the investigation officer of the case, submitted the chargesheet before the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court accusing the four.  

The two other accused in the case are Mahathir Farooki Khan, the then chief reporter of ETV and Kanak Sarwar, the then special correspondent of the private TV channel.

Tarique, Mahathir Farooki Khan and Kanak Sarwar were shown as fugitives in the chargesheet while Abdus Salam is now in jail.

The court also directed the Officer-in-charge of Tejgaon Police Station to submit a report over the arrest information of the trio on November 1.

On January 8, 2015, the sedition case was filed with Tejgaon Police Station over the live telecast of a provocative speech by Tarique Rahman at a programme in London on January 5.

According to the case statement, Tarique instigated his party men by delivering ‘provocative’ speech against law enforcers which led to anarchy in the country at that time.

Salam committed the same offence by broadcasting Tarique's ‘provocative’ speech, which also posed a threat to the sovereignty of Bangladesh.

Salam, who was arrested on January 6, 2015, in a statement before a magistrate confessed to sedition charges brought against him.

Tarique has been in London since September 11, 2008 on medical grounds after securing parole in various cases.