The High Court (HC) did not deliver its verdict on Thursday on an appeal filed by former President HM Ershad against a lower court judgment sentencing him to three years’ imprisonment in a graft case in 1992.

As two more petitions filed by the government in this regard are pending with the High Court, the single bench of Justice M Ruhul Quddus sent all three appeals to Chief Justice SK Sinha for further action, reports UNB.

Concluding the hearing on Ershad’s appeal, the same HC bench on March fixed March 23 for delivering the judgment.

The then Bureau of Anti-Corruption (BAC) filed the case against former military ruler Ershad with Cantonment Police Station on January 8, 1991 on charge of misappropriating Tk 1.91 crore by misusing powers at different times when he was the president of the state from December 11, 1983 to December 6, 1990.

A Dhaka court on February 3, 1992 convicted him for the graft charges and sentenced him to three years’ imprisonment.

The court had also directed the authorities concerned to confiscate the money and a Toyota Land-Cruiser jeep from Ershad, also Jatiya Party president.

Ershad had filed an appeal with the HC the same year challenging the lower court judgment.

Following the appeal, the HC stayed the lower court verdict.

The ACC on February 26 in 2012 became a party to the case under the HC’s permission, as the BAC was not functional.