Former state minister for Information and Communication Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak has sought permission to meet family members for at least half an hour and to have regular extended meetings with his lawyers to discuss matters related to his ongoing criminal cases.
Palak made the requests during a hearing on the framing of charges in the murder case over the death of truck driver Md Hossain in the Mohammadpur area during the July 2024 uprising. With the court’s permission, he personally placed his requests before the judge.
Speaking in court, Palak said he was suffering from serious health problems and claimed that he had sustained a significant injury to his neck. According to him, an MRI examination showed that two bones in his neck had become displaced. He also told the court that, following medical advice, he was unable to wear a helmet because of his condition.
Palak further said that 98 cases had been filed against him and that he had spent 89 days in remand in connection with those cases. He said proceedings in three of the cases were currently under way, while evidence was being recorded in several others.
Against this backdrop, Palak requested permission to meet members of his family for at least 30 minutes while in custody. He also sought special access to his lawyers every fortnight for two days, with each meeting lasting three hours, so that he could discuss the cases and prepare his legal defence.
The court, however, did not issue any immediate order on his requests.
Palak’s lawyer, Tarikul Islam, said prisoners are generally allowed to meet family members for half an hour every 15 days under prison regulations. The additional time sought for meetings with lawyers, he explained, was intended to enable Palak to prepare for hearings, review case documents and receive necessary legal advice in connection with the large number of cases pending against him.
The case in which the charge-framing hearing took place relates to the death of truck driver Md Hossain during the anti-discrimination student movement in 2024. According to the prosecution case, Hossain was shot dead in the Chandra Udyan area of Mohammadpur on 19 July 2024.
The case statement says Hossain had left his truck at Gabtoli and was returning home when he was hit by gunfire. He died at the scene.
Following the incident, Hossain’s mother, Rina Begum, filed a murder case with Mohammadpur Police Station on 31 August 2024.
The investigation later proceeded against a number of individuals. On 23 November 2025, the investigating officer, Sub-Inspector Akramuzzaman of Mohammadpur Police Station, submitted a charge sheet to the court against 34 people, including former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
The latest hearing comes amid a wider series of legal proceedings involving Palak, who served as state minister for Information and Communication Technology before the change in government in 2024. His claim of having 98 cases pending against him highlights the scale of the legal challenges he currently faces, while his request for additional access to legal counsel reflects the practical difficulties of preparing a defence across multiple proceedings. Any decision on his requests for family and lawyer meetings will depend on the court’s consideration of the applicable prison rules and the circumstances of the cases.
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