News Desk :
The Bagherhat District and Sessions Judges Court in June 2000 pronounced the death sentence on Zahid and since then he has been in prison for a crime that he did not commit
Bagerhat’s Sheikh Zahid has been serving time in prison for the past 20 years on charges of murdering his wife and daughter.
According to the case document, in 1997, Zahid allegedly murdered his wife Rahima and their one-and-a-half-year-old daughter while they were asleep at their home under Fakhirhat police station in Bagerhat.
The Bagherhat District and Sessions Judges Court in June 2000 pronounced the death sentence on Zahid and since then he has been in prison for a crime that he did not commit.
Later, in July 2004, the High Court upheld the lower court’s verdict. Then on December 29 the same year, Zahid filed an appeal before the Supreme Court’s Appellate Division against the High Court order.
Finally, on Tuesday, the Appellate Division allowed his appeal against the High Court order that had upheld the lower court’s verdict, paving the way for the release of an innocent man, according to state lawyer Biswajit Debnath.
He said: “The court also has given an advance order to the Supreme Court’s relevant section to follow up on the verdict as soon as possible so that Zahid can come out of prison before getting the full text of the verdict.”
According to the court administration, the Appellate Division took the initiative to hear the appeal on a priority basis once the matter had come to the knowledge of the Supreme Court.
A lawyer has also been appointed for Zahid to provide him with legal assistance, said sources.
