DHAKA, Nov 27, 2017 (BSS) – The High Court (HC) is believed to be completed pronouncing its judgment on death reference and jail appeals in BDR carnage case today after concluding its observation portion of the verdict.
“Justice Md. Nazrul Islam Talukder, member of the three-judge panel of special High Court bench started reading out his part of judgment, at around 10.55 am today. Like his colleague judges yesterday, he too came up with the observations that the carnage was preplanned and was carried out to destabilize then newly elected government and the country as well,” a court official said today.
According to the officials concerned, after completion of reading out the observation portion, the court will start read out the sentencing part.
The High Court bench started reading out the judgment at the same time yesterday and continued till the end of the court time, adjourning the matter till today as it failed to conclude passing the judgment.
The High Court on April 13, kept the judgment on CAV, Curia Advisari Vult (a Latin legal term meaning court awaits verdict), after conclusion of hearing on the matter.
The court also rejected three pleas of the state to increase the terms of sentences of the convicts on that day.
Attorney General Mahbubey Alam on April 13 had expressed his reservation about the final verdict, saying, “I am not sure whether sentences of all the death-row-convicts will be upheld or not. The court will also consider whether all the convicts were involved with that carnage.”
He also said the real culprits should not go unpunished or their sentences should not be commuted.
Third additional metropolitan sessions judge’s court on November 5, 2013, sentenced 152 persons to death and 160 others to life-term imprisonment as they were proved beyond doubt directly involved in the 2009 BDR carnage that killed a total of 74 people including 57 top and mid ranking army officers.
The trial court had passed the judgment after examining 654 out of 1354 prosecution witnesses in the biggest criminal case in the history of the country.
Dhaka city BNP leader Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu and local Awami League leader Torab Ali were awarded life- term imprisonment as their involvement in the conspiracy in organizing the BDR mutiny and committing murder was proved.
The court acquitted 271 persons as the prosecution could not establish the charges brought against them. Besides, 267 persons were given sentences for different tenure.
The brutal killing of the country’s top army officials in the much hated BDR carnage had created widespread sensation at home and abroad.
The mutineers also looted arms and ammunitions during the 33 hours’ bloodbath at the Peelkhana headquarters in the city.
The trial was held in a makeshift court on Aliya Madrasha ground in the old part of the city.