Supreme Court lawyer ZI Khan Panna today said that Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal President and freedom fighter Hasanul Haq Inu has not been given the same amount of time to prepare his discharge petition as the 1971 war crimes accused once received.
The International Crimes Tribunal-2 set October 28 for the hearing on charge framing after the prosecution submitted its plea seeking formal charges against Inu in connection with crimes against humanity during the July uprising.
Speaking to journalists at the ICT premises, Panna said the defence needs more time to review extensive prosecution materials, including documents, audio, and video evidence, before filing a petition seeking discharge from the formal charges. They sought one month to prepare their arguments against the charge formation.
"The prosecution has submitted hundreds of pages and various digital materials. Studying them properly requires time, time that the war criminals once received but a freedom fighter like Hasanul Haq Inu has not been given," Panna said after hearing.
Panna further alleged that even Ghulam Azam was granted sufficient preparation time, while Inu is being deprived. "We will continue to fight to ensure justice," he said.
Responding to reporters, Prosecutor Md Mizanul Islam said the defence raised the issue of electronic devices before the tribunal. "When the tribunal asked for clarification, I said the prosecution has no authority to intervene in prison regulations. Whether lawyers can carry such devices depends entirely on jail code," he said, adding that the tribunal did not accept the defence's plea on this issue.