Staff Reporter :
The High Court on Monday fixed February 17 for delivering the verdict on the death references and appeal petitions of the sensational case filed for attempting to kill Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina by planting a 76kg bomb at Kotalipara in 2000.
The High Court bench of Justice Jahangir Hossain and Justice Md Badruzzaman passed the order after concluding the hearing on the death references and appeal petitions filed in the case.
If a lower court sentences a person to death in a case, its judgment is examined by the HC through hearing arguments for confirmation of the death sentence. The case documents and judgment reach as death reference to the HC from the lower court within seven days of the latter delivering the verdict.
Attorney general AM Amin Uddin and deputy attorney general Md Bashir Ullah took part in the hearing on behalf of the state, while, advocate Mohammad Ahasan and other lawyers appeared for the accused.
The High Court on September 16 in 2020 resumed hearing on the death references and appeal petitions of the sensational case. The Speedy Trial Tribunal-2 in Dhaka on August 20, 2017, awarded death sentence to 10 leaders and activists of Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (Huji) in the case.
They are — Wasim Akter alias Tarek, Rashed alias Abul Kalam, Yusuf Alias Moshab Morol, Sheikh Farid alias Maulana Shawkat Osman, Hafez Zahangir Alam Badar, Maulana Abu Bakar alias Hafez Selim Howlader, Hafez Maulana Yahia, Mufti Shafiqur Rahman, Mufti Abdul Hye and Maulana Abdur Rauf alias Abdur Razzaque.
Besides, Mehedi Hasan alias Abdur Wadud was sentenced to life and Anisul Islam alias Anis, Mohibullah alias Mofizur Rahman and Sarwar Hossain Mia were handed 14 years in prison.
Huji leader Mufti Hannan was found guilty but was acquitted as he was executed on April 12, 2017, at Kashimpur High-Security Prison for killing three people and injuring former British high commissioner to Bangladesh and a dozen others in Sylhet 15 years ago.
Death references and other documents of the case were sent to the High Court for examination on August 27 in 2017.
Of the accused, 4 are on the run, while 10 other appealed against their conviction, said deputy attorney general Bashir Ullah.
The 76kg bomb was recovered at Sheikh Lutfor Rahman Ideal College of Kotalipara in Gopalganj on July 21, 2000. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was supposed to address a rally there the next day. The then sub-inspector Nur Hossain of Kotalipara Police Station filed the case under the Explosive Substances Act following the incident.
