The High Court has ordered BNP chief Khaleda Zia’s counsels to file a fresh supplementary plea seeking bail for their client in the case under the Special Powers Act over the 2015 arson of a covered van in Cumilla.

Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice SM Mozibur Rahman gave the order on Sunday when Attorney General Mahbubey Alam argued for the State.

“The appeal filed against the Cumilla court’s order denying bail did not include a certified copy of the trial court’s decision, which is the standard rule. They have attached it later during the second day hearing and the State objects as the filing of the appeal was not appropriate,” he told the court.

The court then ordered Khaleda’s counsel AJ Mohammad Ali to file a new petition by Monday.

The case dates back to Jan 25, 2015 when a covered van was set on fire and vandalised in Chauddagram during a long-term strike called by the BNP-led alliance. Later, a case was filed with the Chauddagram Police Station under the Special Powers Act.

Police pressed charges in the case on Feb 14, 2017, accusing 32 persons, including Khaleda.

A former prime minister, Khaleda was sentenced to five years in jail in February after she was convicted in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case.

She was serving her sentence at old jailhouse in Dhaka until Oct 6, when she was admitted to the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) Hospital.