High Court verdict on the death reference and appeal in the much-discussed August 21 grenade attack case today.
The High Court bench of Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayet Hossain will pronounce the verdict on Sunday (December 1).
The High Court had reserved the verdict for any day after the hearing on the death reference and appeal in the case on November 21. Later, the verdict was set for Sunday.
Supreme Court lawyer Mohammad Shishir Monir confirmed the verdict to reporters on Saturday.
The death reference and appeal hearing in the much-discussed August 21 grenade attack case began on October 31. On August 21, 2004, a grenade attack took place at an Awami League anti-terrorism rally on Bangabandhu Avenue in the capital. Judge Shahed Nuruddin of Dhaka's Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 pronounced the verdict in the case filed in this incident in 2018. The verdict sentenced 19 people to death, including State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfuzzaman Babar and Deputy Minister Abdus Salam Pintu of the BNP-Jamaat coalition government during the 2001-2006 period. Among the death-sentenced defendants, Brigadier General (retd) Abdur Rahim and defendant Sheikh Abdus Salam died while undergoing treatment in 2021.
19 people, including BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman, BNP leader Haris Chowdhury, and Kazi Shah Mofazzal Hossain Kaikobad were sentenced to life in prison in the case. In addition, the trial court sentenced 11 people to different terms. Later that year, a death reference was filed in the High Court. The convicted prisoners also appealed.
Two cases were filed at Motijheel Police Station under the Murder and Explosives Acts in connection with the grenade attack on August 21, 2004. In 2007, the caretaker government started a new investigation into the two cases (murder and explosives). In 2008, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the police filed a charge sheet accusing 22 people. The case was further investigated during the Awami League government. Then, a supplementary charge sheet was filed accusing 30 people, including Tarique Rahman. On October 10, 2018, the Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 gave its verdict in this case (murder and explosives case). After the verdict, the documents of the two cases, including the verdict of the trial court, reached the High Court in the same year.