Dhaka: Bangladesh's jailed former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia has earned a reprieve with the Supreme Court refusing the government permission to appeal against the high court judgement quashing two graft cases against her.

The caretaker government failed to clearly explain years of delay in seeking the permission, the full bench of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Mohammad Ruhul Amin ruled on Thursday.

The same day, however, the Anti-Corruption Commission approved the charge sheet in a case filed against Zia's eldest son Tarique Rahman, his wife and his mother-in-law for concealing information on wealth and acquiring wealth beyond known sources of income, The New Age newspaper said.

The graft cases against Zia were filed during the 1996-2001 rule of the Awami League-led Sheikh Hasina government.

Following applications filed by Zia, the high court had quashed the cases during the rule of Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led government.

The court rejected arguments by the additional attorney general that it was not possible for any government official to file an appeal against the high court verdicts as Khaleda Zia was the Prime Minister when the cases against her were quashed.

The court reportedly did not consider the explanation to be "clear enough".

Source : IANS