High Court seeks Khaleda’s date of birth documents

The High Court has asked the government authorities concerned to submit relevant documents on BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia's date of birth.

The virtual bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman issued the order on Sunday after hearing a writ petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer Mamun-or Rashid.

The court also issued a rule asking the authorities concerned to show cause as to why their inaction against Khaleda Zia for deliberately celebrating her birthday on different dates should not be declared illegal.

Secretaries to the home affairs and health and family planning ministries, the inspector general of police and the Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner, the Gulshan Police Station OC and Khaleda Zia, were asked to respond to the rule within 60 days.

Lawyer Nahid Sultana appeared in court for the writ petition. Deputy attorneys general Arobinda Kumar Roy and Bipul Bagmar moved for the state.

Earlier on Saturday, Supreme Court (SC) lawyer Mamun-or Rashid filed the writ petition with the High Court (HC), challenging the validity of Khaleda Zia's different dates of birth.

In the petition, the lawyer sought the HC directive to the authorities concerned to submit all types of documents on Khaleda Zia (in which her dates of birth have been used) to the court, to determine her 'genuine' birthday.

Following the order, deputy attorney general Arobinda Kumar Roy told reporters that in the writ petition, the petitioner mentioned the use of five birthdays for Khaleda Zia.  According to her SSC certificate, Khaleda Zia's date of birth is 5 September, 1946, as per her  marriage registration certificate, her date of birth is 4 August, 1944,  her machine-readable passport shows that her date of birth is 5 August, 1946, and as per her recent Covid-19 test report her birthday is May 8, 1946.

Furthermore, Khaleda Zia also celebrated her birthday on 15 August, the national day of mourning.