Dhaka: The High Court granted a time petition to BNP-backed Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) mayoral candidate Mirza Abbas seeking a week time for hearing on the bail petitions in three cases.

A High Court bench led by Justice Mohammad Ruhul Kuddus and another bench jointly headed by Justice Moinul Islam Chowdhury and Justice JBM Hassan issued the order on Monday morning as Mirza Abbas was not present before the court due to security reasons.

The court deferred the hearing on the bail petitions filed by Mirza Abbas until 4 May in two arson attack cases with Paltan and Motijheel police and a cases filed by Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

Abbas lawyer barrister Rajib Rouf Chowdhury said Mirza Abbas could not appear before the court due to security reason as the Dhaka North City Corporation and South City Corporation polls will held on Tuesday. The court granted the time petition in response to our appeal for a week as the senior counsels of the case are busy with the election, said Abbas’s lawyer.

The hearing was scheduled to hold on a single bench and other joint benches of High Court on Monday.  

Earlier, on Sunday, a single bench was formed as two High Court benches issued separate orders.

High Court benches headed by Justice Kamrul Islam Siddique and Justice Gobinda Chandra Thakur issued a divided order on anticipatory bail petitions over arson attack cases on 15 April.

Senior judge Kamrul Islam Siddique granted a three week anticipatory bail to Mirza Abbas. However, junior judge Gobinda Chandra rejected the bail plea of the BNP leader.

Earlier, on 13 April, Mirza Abbas filed petitions with the High Court seeking interim bail in three cases. On 28 December 2014, police filed a case against the BNP standing committee member, Mirza Abbas, with Paltan Police Station on charges of setting fire to a bus and bombing.

On 4 January this year, Motijheel police filed another case against Abbas under the Explosive Substances Act.

On 6 March last year, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the other case against some people with the Shahbagh Police for graft allegation in plot allotment.

Although Abbas was not named in the FIR, he filed the bail plea in the case fearing arrest.

The affidavit he submitted to the Election Commission with the nomination paper shows there are 37 criminal cases against him and he had been accused in 24 cases in the past.