Dhaka: Two separate courts here on Thursday rejected the bail petitions filed by BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in two cases — one for celebrating ‘fake’ birthday and the other for undermining the country’s map, national flag and the Liberation War.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Khurshid Alam rejected the bail petition of Khaleda Zia in the case filed for celebrating the ‘fake’ birthday while Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Ahsan Habib rejected the bail plea in the other case, reports the UNB.

Earlier on June 21, the two courts fixed July 5 to pass their orders on the bail petitions of Khaleda Zia in the two cases.

Khaleda’s lawyers Advocate Sanaullah Miah filed the petitions before the two courts on April 12.

On November 17, 2016, a Dhaka court issued a warrant for the arrest of Khaleda Zia in the case filed for celebrating ‘fake’ birthday on the National Mourning Day on August 15.

Former joint general secretary of Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) Gazi Zahirul Islam filed the case with the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s court accusing Khaleda of provoking people by celebrating her ‘false’ birthday on August 15. The case was filed under sections 198 and 469 of the Code of Criminal Procedures (CrPC).

In his complaint, Jahirul Islam said Khaleda’s date of birth was mentioned as August 15, 1946 in her latest passport while August 9, 1944 in her marriage registration and September 5, 1946, in her (unsuccessful) SSC mark sheet.

On November 3, 2016, President of Jananetri Parishad, a pro-Awami League organisation, AB Siddique, filed the other case with a court accusing Khaleda of undermining the country’s map, the national flag and the Liberation War.

On February 8 last, a special court here sentenced Khaleda to five years’ rigorous imprisonment in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case. Since then she has been kept in Old Dhaka Central Jail.