Court Report: "I feel embarrassed and am transferring the case to another court. Do you object?" the judge asks!

Defence and prosecution lawyers have filed opposing petitions in the case against cricketer Nasir Hossain and his wife Tamima Sultana, who stand accused of marrying while Tamima was still legally married to another man.

On Monday, Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Wahiduzzaman, calling the day’s developments “embarrassing” for the court, ordered the case to be transferred to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's court.

Both Nasir and Tamima appeared for the defence hearing. Their lawyer, Azizur Rahman Dulu, submitted two appeals — one of which accused the plaintiff’s lawyer Ishrat Hasan of “contempt of court”.

According to the defence petition, Ishrat had publicly claimed on Apr 16 that Nasir "seduced" Tamima through adultery, despite the fact that the trial on the issue is still ongoing. "Only after the court delivers its verdict can it be determined whether Nasir committed adultery or not," the petition argued.

During the hearing, Dulu also requested the court to read a summary of the case instead of the full charges as directed earlier by the High Court.

Plaintiff's lawyer Ishrat countered, pointing out that Dulu had previously represented the plaintiff in this case, and under legal norms, he should not now represent the defence.

Hearing arguments from both sides, Magistrate Wahiduzzaman said: "Both sides have the right to appeal. However, this is a busy court — we do not have the luxury to prolong a single case at the cost of others. I feel embarrassed and am transferring the case to another court. Do you object?"

Both sides agreed they had "no objection," prompting the magistrate to direct the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate to reassign the case.

Witness testimony in the case wrapped up on Apr 16, with 10 witnesses testifying.

According to the case documents, Tamima married Rakib Hasan on Feb 26, 2011, and they have an eight-year-old daughter. However, while still legally married to Rakib, she allegedly married Nasir on Feb 14, 2020. Their wedding came to light after photos surfaced online on Feb 14, 2021.

Rakib subsequently filed a case with the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court in Dhaka on Feb 24, 2021. Following an investigation, the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) named Nasir, Tamima, and Tamima’s mother, Sumi Akter, as defendants in its Sept 30, 2021 report.

On Feb 9, 2022, the court indicted Nasir and Tamima, allowing the trial to proceed, though Tamima’s mother was discharged from the case.

Subsequently, both the defence and the plaintiff filed revision petitions, challenging parts of the indictment. On Feb 28, 2023, the court rejected both appeals, clearing the way for the trial to move forward. The trial officially began on Mar 20, 2023, with Rakib’s testimony.

Sunnews/ra