Shawdesh desk:

The Appellate Division on Sunday upheld a High Court order that dismissed four extortion cases filed against Bangladesh Nationalist Party acting chairman Tarique Rahman with several police stations in Dhaka.

A four-member bench led by Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam passed the order rejecting the leave-to-appeals submitted by the state earlier.

Additional Attorney general Barrister Anik R Haq representing the state during the hearing confirmed the matter, saying that the appeals were rejected.

In 2007, several people filed extortion cases against the BNP’s acting chairman with Gulshan, Kafrul, Shahbagh and Dhanmondi police station during the army-backed caretaker government.

Petitions were filed with the High Court challenging the legality of the cases following the section 56 (Ka) of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

On October 23, a dual bench of the HC comprising Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayet Hossain cancelled the procedures of the four cases.

Later, the state submitted separate leave-to-appeals with the Appellate Division in this regard.

As per the schedule, the Appellate Division held the hearing on Sunday and delivered the order.