Hearing of Khaleda's petitions today

Hearing on the petitions BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia filed over the disputed house in Dhaka cantonment would be held today at the Supreme Court.
Considering the sensitivity of the issue, law enforcement agencies have taken special measures to ensure security on the SC premises. Police also requested lawyers and visitors not to enter the chief justice's courtroom and the court premises unless they have to be there.
SC sources said additional law enforcement personnel would be deployed on the court premises to tackle any untoward incidents.
Khaleda on November 8 filed two petitions with the SC challenging the High Court verdict that declared valid the government notice to vacate the disputed cantonment house.
Khaleda also filed two other petitions with the SC on November 23 after she 'left' the house on November 13. She claimed she was evicted illegally and prayed for status quo over the house issue and an order so that she can return to the house.
The full bench of the Appellate Division of the SC headed by Chief Justice ABM Khairul Haque will hear all four petitions today.
Mahbub Uddin Khokon, one of the lawyers of Khaleda, yesterday told The Daily Star that they would try to move the two petitions filed on November 23 first.
Attorney General Mahbubey Alam, however, said the Appellate Division would decide which one of the four petitions would be heard first.
The political arena has heated up over the issue of Khaleda's house and the main opposition BNP already enforced a countrywide hartal on November 14. Another hartal is tomorrow.
Quite a few instances of violence happened the day when she 'left' the house and the conflict between the ruling party and main opposition BNP has since intensified. There has been mass arrest of opposition activists ahead of tomorrow's hartal.
Police have so far failed to make any headway about the incident of Molotov crackers going off inside the chief justice's residence on November 18 but there are suspicions of this having links with Khaleda's case.
Against this backdrop, lawyers and a cross sections of people apprehend chaos at the court today.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Benazir Ahmed yesterday at a press briefing requested lawyers to avoid going to the SC today unless they have professional obligation to go.
He said visitors should not enter the Supreme Court compound unless they have any business there.
The Appellate Division on November 10 adjourned, until today, hearings of the two petitions filed on November 8. A judge on November 23 also fixed today for hearing the two new petitions Khaleda filed.
The government on November 13 allegedly evicted Khaleda Zia from the cantonment residence on the grounds that the SC has not issued a stay order on the HC verdict.