Defence lawyers appeared in court on behalf of detained BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Tarique Rahman and six others and sought time for next hearing of the case.

Metropolitan Magistrate AJM Abdullahel Baqui passed the order as the summons issued earlier upon BNP chief Khaleda, Fazlul Azim, Ali Asghar Lobi and AKM Mosharraf Hossain were not served and returned. Eleven people are accused in the case.

The court also directed the authorities concerned to submit reports by August 26 regarding the death of two accused--barrister Abdus Salam Talukder and Nurul Amin Talukder.

The accused who appeared in court through lawyers are Tarique's business partner Giasuddin Al Mamun, Sheikh Razzak Ali, barrister Nazmul Huda, Maj (retd) MA Mannan, Manjurul Ahsan Munshi and Rokonuddin Molla.

Of them, Tarique, Mamun, Huda, Manjurul, Lobi and Mosharraf were arrested earlier and they are now in different jails.

The same court on June 12 issued summons upon Khaleda, her elder son Tarique and nine directors of the daily after Abdul Mannan, deputy registrar (current charge) of the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies and Firms (RJSCF), filed the case.

The case was filed against them with the court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate under section 36 (5) of the Companies Act 1994. The court had issued summons upon them asking them to appear before the court yesterday in person.

According to the complainant, the accused were directors of Daily Dinkal Publications Ltd, registered with the RJSCF, and did not submit its income tax returns for several years.

There were rumours on Sunday night that BNP chairperson might be arrested or she might be sent to jail if she is produced before the court. According to sources in the BNP, movement of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia is restricted since March 7, the day her son Tarique Rahman was arrested. Recently the authorities did not even allow her to visit ailing music icon Sabina Yasmin at Labaid hospital in the capital.