Court Correspondent :
The High Court Division of the Supreme Court yesterday commuted the death sentences of two activists of banned Islamist outfit Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) to life-term imprisonment in a case filed for series bomb blasts in Shariatpur on August 17, 2005.
The Bench of Justice Jahangir Hossain Selim and Justice Md Jahangir Hossain pronounced the order hearing the death reference of the case and the appeals filed by the convicts challenging their conviction handed down by the trial court.
The High Court commuted the death sentences of JMB activists Kamruzzaman alias Swapan, now 31, and Malek Bepari alias Malek Zehadi, 32, to life-term imprisonment as they have been in jail custody for long 12 years, and there was no casualty in the incident of bomb blasts in Shariatpur and they were very young during the incident on August 17, 2015.
Both Kamruzzaman and Malek, are now in the Kashimpur jail. They shall have to suffer in the prison for 30 years from the date of their arrest. But, the High Court did not say that their imprisonment will be until their death.
As part of their countrywide terror campaign, the JMB on August 17, 2005 simultaneously blasted several bombs at the office of Shariatpur Deputy Commissioner’s court premises, in front of Dak Bungalow and in Palong Bazar area of the district. On the day, the banned militant outfit exploded bombs in 63 districts out of 64.
After the series blasts, Badruzzaman, a sub-inspector of Shariatpur Sadar Police Station, filed a case against some unidentified people. Later, Investigation Officer of the case Kamal Hossain submitted the chargesheet of the case accusing the two along with the then JMB Chief Shaikh Abdur Rahman and its operations commander Siddikul Islam alias Bangla Bhai.
Abdur Rahman and Bangla Bhai were among the six militants executed in March 2007 for killing two Jhalakathi judges. A Shariatpur court on January 28, 2013, sentenced Kamruzzaman and Malek to death in the case.
The death reference of the case reached the High Court within seven days from Shariatpur court and the convicts then filed appeals with the High Court challenging the sub-ordinate court verdict.
