Dhaka, March 31 (IANS): A court in Bangladesh Monday rejected a libel plea against the country's main opposition leader Khaleda Zia.

A.B. Siddiqui, chief of Jananetri Parishad, a pro-ruling Awami League organisation, filed the petition in Dhaka's Chief Metropolitan Magistrate court Monday alleging that Khaleda had distorted the history of the country's Liberation War by saying that her husband Ziaur Rahman was "Bangladesh’s first president".

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Shamsul Arefin rejected the plea after a hearing Monday.

The magistrate said that the petition lacked substantial elements and therefore could not be accepted as a case, bdnews24.com reported.

At a programme in London last week, Khaleda’s elder son and Bangladesh Nationalist Party's (BNP) senior vice-chairman Tarique Rahman claimed his father was Bangladesh’s first president.

A day later, the BNP chief backed her son’s claims.

Sunday’s Parliament session saw a heated debate over the claims and several members of parliament were in favour of charging Khaleda with sedition.