Court Correspondent :
A Dhaka court yesterday fixed March 28 to record the depositions of witnesses in the case filed on the charge of the murder of popular film actor Sohel Chowdhury in December 1998.
Judge Md Zakir Hossain of the Speedy Trial Tribunal-2 of Dhaka passed the order.
Earlier, the complainant of the case, and also brother of the victim Touhidul Islam Chowdhury sought time to engage personal lawyer.
However, the court issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against complainant Towhidul Islam Chowdhury, as he did not comply with the court order.
He was earlier summoned to appear in the court on March 20 to narrate what he knew about the murder, said Afrin Shilpi, Additional Public Prosecutor of the tribunal.
Of the nine accused, Tariq Sayeed Mamun, now in jail, was produced in the court while Harunur Rashid alias Leather Liton was not produced from the jail.
Two other accused- Adnan Siddiqui and Faruque Abbasi, now on bail were present in the court on Sunday.
Two other accused–Sanzidul Islam Imon and Ashish Roy Chowdhury-are on the run.
On December 18, 1998, actor Sohel was shot dead by some miscreants at Trumps Club in Abedin Tower in the city’s Banani Road-17.
Following the incident, the victim’s brother filed the murder case with Gulshan Police Station.
After investigation, detectives pressed charges against Aziz, Bunty and seven others on July 30, 1999.
On October 30, 2001, Dhaka’s Third Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court framed charges against them.
After two years of framing charges against the accused, the case was transferred to the Speedy Trial Tribunal-2 of Dhaka for its quick trial.
Following a petition of an accused, a High Court Division in 2003 stayed the proceedings of the trial.
Later, on February 27, 2022, the stay on the trial proceedings was withdrawn after 19 years.
