Court Correspondent :
The court has fixed September 15 for recording the next testimony in a case filed over the sensational murder of housewife Sagira Morshed in the capital’s Siddheswari area.
The court of Abu Jafar Md Kamruzzaman, judge of the Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-1, on Monday set the new date. Special Public Prosecutor (PP) of the court Md Abu Abdullah Bhuiyan confirmed the matter to Daily Bangladesh on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Home Ministry published a gazette transferring the case from the Dhaka Metropolitan Session Judge Court to the Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-1. Later, the first date for recording testimony in the case was set for Monday.
On that day, Sagira Morshed’s brother-in-law Dr Hasan Ali Chowdhury and his wife Sayedatul Mahmuda alias Shahin surrendered before the court and appealed for bail. After the hearing, the court granted them bail.
Earlier on December 2, 2020, Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge KM Imrul Qayesh framed charges against four persons including the elder brother of Sagira Morshed’s husband. The court indicted Sagira’s brother-in-law Dr Hasan Ali Chowdhury, his wife Sayedatul Mahmuda, Mahmuda’s brother Anas Mahmud alias Rezwan and contract killer Maruf Reza.
Earlier on March 9, 2020, the court accepted charge sheet against four accused, filed by investigation officer and Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) inspector Rafikul Islam on January 16. The IO filed 1,309-page charge-sheet, accusing the four for the murder.
On July 25, 1989, 34-year-old Sagira Morshed was gunned down by unidentified muggers in front of Viqarunnisa Noon School and College in the capital’s Bailey Road.
Sagira’s husband Abdus Salam Chowdhury filed the case on that day with Ramna Police Station against unidentified miscreants. A rickshaw puller present at the crime scene identified two of the killers, but police had filed the initial charge sheet against one Montu.
Dhaka First Additional Sessions Judge Abu Bakar Siddique on January 17, 1991, framed charges against Montu and testimonies of seven witnesses were also recorded.
But during the hearing, the prosecution alleged the name of Maruf Reza, close relative of then home minister Mahmudul Hasan, came up during the investigation and was also arrested. But his name was dropped from the charge sheet.
Following a plea of the prosecution, the court on May 23, 1991, ordered for further investigation. But the proceeding of the case was stayed by the High Court as Maruf Reza filed a petition, challenging the further investigation order.
But the High Court on June 26, 2019, cleared way for continuing the murder case as it dismissed the rule that had stayed the trial proceedings.
A High Court division bench comprising Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman passed the order, asking PBI to conduct further investigation in the case and complete it within 60-working days.
PBI after that arrested the four and they have already confessed their role in the killing of Sagira.
