DHAKA, Feb 01, 2021 (BSS) – The High Court (HC) today set February 17 to
pass its judgement on death reference and jail appeals of the convicts in a
case lodged over an attempt to murder Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in
Kotalipara, Gopalganj, in 2000.
“Hearing concluded, judgment 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 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 newsmen after today’s proceedings.
The chief state counsel said the court would pronounce its judgement in
Bengali marking the International Mother Language Day.
The High Court on September 16, 2020, started its hearing on the matter.
Dhaka 2nd Speedy Trial Tribunal on August 20, 2017, sentenced 10 persons
to death in the case, as Judge Mamtaz in her order had 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 76-kg powerful bomb
on July 22, 2000, from the premises of Sheikh Lutfor Rahman Government Ideal
College when a podium was being made for 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 the
regard on that day.
CID assistant superintendant of police Munshi Atikur Rahman on April 8,
2001, filed 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 2004 grenade
attack at Hazrat Shahjalal (RA) shrine in Sylhet. His name was dropped from
Prime Minister murder attempt case.