United News of Bangladesh

The High Court (HC) will deliver judgment any day on the death references, appeals and jail appeals of the convicts in the Ramna Batamul bombing cases filed over two decades ago. An HC bench consisting of Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam and Justice Nasrin Akter passed the order after ending hearings on the death references and appeals. Defence lawyers SM Shahjahan, Sarwar and Mohammad Shishir Monir stood for the accused while deputy attorney general Sultana Akter Rubi represented the state during the hearing in the court. On April 14, 2001, during the Chhayanat’s Bengali New Year celebrations at Ramna Batamul, a bomb blast left nine people dead on the spot. Another died at the hospital later. Two cases – one for murder and another for explosives -- were filed with Ramna Police Station after the incident. Dhaka's Second Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge ruled on June 23, 2014 in a murder case involving the bomb attack. DU rape case: Court set to deliver judgement this afternoon Eight people, including Mufti Hannan, the top leader of Harkatul Jihad (Huji), were sentenced to death and six to life imprisonment. However, Mufti Hannan was hanged on April 12, 2017 in a conviction over another grenade attack in Sylhet. The death references and appeals of the convicts were kept waiting for hearing in the High Court. After hearing the death references and other appeals, the court is now set to deliver the verdict any day.

The death references of BUET student Abrar Fahad murder case have reached the High Court for examining the lower court verdict. The death reference reached the branch concerned of the Supreme Court on Thursday, said Mohammad Saifur Rahman, Special Officer of the SC. Now further action will be taken as per rules, he added. According to the law, if a convict is sentenced to death in a lower court, all the documents of the case are sent to the High Court for approval of the penalty. It is then included in the branch concerned of the High Court as a death reference case. Read: Abrar’s mother also seeks death sentence for Amit Saha Later, when the case ‘Paperbook’- file containing all the documents- is prepared, the hearing of the death reference is held following the serial. On December 8 last year, a Dhaka court sentenced 20 young men to death and five others to life imprisonment for killing Abrar, 21-year-old student of Buet in October 2019. According to the prosecution Abrar, the second-year student of Electrical and Electronics Engineering at Buet, was beaten to death by Bangladesh Chhatra League leaders at Sher-e-Bangla Hall in 2019. He was found dead on the staircase of the hall in the early hours of October 7, after he was taken to room No-2011 around 8pm on October 6 and beaten mercilessly. Read: 20 to die for killing Buet student Abrar On October 7, an FIR for murder was lodged at the Chawkbazar police station against 19 people, following a complaint from Abrar’s father Barkat Ullah. On November 13, 2019, Detective Branch (DB) inspector and investigation officer of the case Wahiduzzaman submitted a chargesheet against the 25 accused. On September 15, 2020, the court framed charges against the accused. The court recorded statements of 47 of the 60 witnesses in the case.

Aysha Siddika Minni, who was sentenced to death for her role in her husband Rifat Sharif’s murder, has moved the High Court challenging the subordinate court verdict.

The death reference in Rifat Sharif killing case reached the High Court Division on Sunday.