Sheikh Hasina murder attempt: High Court judgment on death reference, appeals on Feb 17
File photo: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina addresses a meeting of the National Economic Council virtually from her official Ganabhaban residence in the capital on Tuesday, December 29, 2020 PID
The High Court on Monday set February 17 to pass its judgment on death reference and jail appeals of the convicts in a case lodged over an attempt to murder Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Kotalipara of Gopalganj in 2000.
“Hearing concluded, judgement on February 17,” said a High Court division virtual bench of Justice Jahangir Hossain and Justice Md Badruzzaman.
On August 20, 2017, Dhaka 2nd Speedy Trial Tribunal sentenced 10 people to death in the case
The High Court on Monday set February 17 to pass its judgment on death reference and jail appeals of the convicts in a case lodged over an attempt to murder Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Kotalipara of Gopalganj in 2000.
“Hearing concluded, judgement on February 17,” said a High Court division virtual bench of Justice Jahangir Hossain and Justice Md Badruzzaman.
The court came up with the order after both the state and the defence concluded their parts of the hearing on the matter.
Attorney General AM Amin Uddin, Deputy Attorney General Dr Md Boshir Ullah and Assistant Attorney General A Mohammad Shahin Mridha stood for the state, while Mohammad Ahsan and Amulla Kumar Sarker argued for the accused.
“We have been able to prove the wide-ranging conspiracy of the accused to make the country leaderless by murdering Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The accused have confessed their crimes under Section 164. We hope the judgement of the lower court concerned would be upheld,” Attorney General AM Amin Uddin told the media after proceedings.
The chief state counsel said the court would pronounce its judgement in Bangla marking the International Mother Language Day.
On August 20, 2017, Dhaka 2nd Speedy Trial Tribunal sentenced 10 people to death in the case, as Judge Mamtaz in her order said the convicts can be executed either by hanging or by shooting, with permission from the High Court.
The lower court had examined 68 witnesses out of the total 83.
According to the case documents, army men recovered a 76kg powerful bomb on July 22, 2000, from the premises of Sheikh Lutfor Rahman Government Ideal College when a podium was being made for the prime minister’s rally.
Another powerful bomb was recovered in the area the very next day. Then Kotalipara police station sub-inspector Nur Hossain filed a case in this regard on that day.
Criminal Investigation Department (CID) assistant superintendent of police Munshi Atikur Rahman on April 8, 2001, filed a charge sheet against Harkat ul-Jihad al-Islami (HuJI) chief Mufti Abdul Hannan and others.
Later the case was transferred to the Dhaka court.
Mufti Hannan has already been executed on April 12, 2017, for a grenade attack at Hazrat Shahjalal (RA) shrine in Sylhet in 2004.
His name was dropped from the prime minister murder attempt case.
BSS
