Meghalaya court defers verdict on former B'desh minister

Shillong, Sep 28 (IANS) A court in Meghalaya on Friday deferred its judgment on former Bangladesh minister Salahuddin Ahmed, who was arrested three years ago for trespassing into India.

This is the second time that the Court of Judicial magistrate (first class) deferred its judgment. Earlier, the court had fixed August 13 to deliver its final verdict in the case.

"The hearing on the matter (verdict in Ahmed's case) has been deferred as the judge and the public prosecutor were on leave," a court official said on condition of anonymity.

They said the matter will be listed on October 15.

Ahmed, the communications minister during the government of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Khaleda Zia from 2001-06, was arrested on May 1, 2015 from Golflink area here in Meghalaya after people alerted the authorities about his movement in the area.

Police have registered a case against him under the Foreigners Act on charges of illegally entering India after he failed to produce his travel documents. He also did not have any papers to prove his identity and citizenship.

The court had granted him bail on June 5, 2015 with three conditions -- that he should not leave the jurisdiction of the court (the state capital of Meghalaya); he should report at the office of the superintendent of police East Khasi Hills district; and appear before the court.

However, the appearance of Ahmed, who went missing from Bangladesh since March 10 this year, in Shillong still remains a mystery as police or the central intelligence agencies are yet to crack how he landed in Shillong.

Ahmed's family had alleged that some men in plainclothes flashing identity cards of the Bangladesh Police Detective Branch picked him up from a house in Dhaka on the night of March 10, 2015.

Bangladesh Police have officially denied arresting Ahmed, who was made BNP spokesman weeks before his disappearance.