Dhaka: The High Court on Sunday re-set 5 April for the judgment on its long-pending rule asking the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to explain why the Barapukuria coalmine case filed against BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, also a former Prime Minister, should not be quashed.

Allowing a time-petition moved by Khaleda’s lawyer AJ Mohammad Ali, an HC division bench, comprising Justice M Moinul Islam Chowdhury and Justice JBM Hassan, passed the order.

Responding to a petition filed by Khaleda Zia nearly six and half years ago, the High Court on 16 October 2008 had stayed the case proceedings and issued a rule upon the ACC to explain why the case filed against the accused should not be quashed.

During the military-backed caretaker government, the ACC on 26 February 2008 filed the case with the Shahbagh police in the capital accusing former prime minister Khaleda Zia and others, including her former 10 cabinet colleagues, of taking kickbacks of about Tk 159 crore on the Barapukuria Coalmine deal awarded to the highest bidder instead of the lowest one.