A Dhaka court has deferred the hearing for framing charges against Syed Ashfaqul Haque, former executive editor of The Daily Star, and his wife Tania Khondoker in a case filed over the death of teenage domestic worker Preeti Urang due to negligence.
Judge Md Alamgir Hossain of Dhaka Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court‑1 fixed 2 September following a time petition from the defence.
The hearing was originally slated for Wednesday, but defence lawyer Chaitanya Chandra Haldar sought an adjournment, said the court’s bench assistant ASM Shahadat Ali.
According to case documents, 15‑year‑old Preeti Urang had been working as a domestic help at Ashfaqul’s residence on Shahjahan Road in Mohammadpur for about two years.
On the morning of 6 February 2024, Preeti died after falling through an opening at Ashfaqul’s eighth‑floor flat. Police arrested Ashfaqul and Tania within hours of the incident.
Following the incident, the victim’s father Lokesh Urang filed a case. After investigation, SI SM Mahmud Reza of the Detective Branch (DB) Tejgaon Zonal Team submitted a charge sheet to the court on 31 March, accusing both Ashfaqul and Tania.
On 16 June, Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court transferred the case to the Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court for trial.
