The High Court (HC) will deliver its judgement on February 17 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 after the end of hearing in the case on Monday, reports BSS.
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 the case.