Verdict deferred as judgment writing not complete in time

FE Report | Published: June 17, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00

The trial court deferred until June 23 the delivery of verdict in the case of Ramna Batamul concert bombing as the writing of the judgment could not be completed within the set timeline up to Monday.
"I could not complete writing the judgment of the case. So, I rescheduled the date," said Judge Ruhul Amin of the Second Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court, who was scheduled to pronounce the verdict on the day and the accused stood in the dock to hear about their fate.
On completion of arguments from the prosecution and the defence on May 28, the judge had fixed Monday for giving the judgment on the carnage terrors staged during the traditional celebration of the Bengali New Year 1408 (April 14, 2001) at Ramna Batamul, according to media reports.
Several blasts rocked the crowded carnival site, killing 10 people and injuring around 50.
The artistes of leading cultural troupe Chhayanaut were performing in a musical soiree welcoming Pahela Baishakh, the first day of the Bengali New Year.
The Criminal Investigation Department on December 30, 2008 pressed charges against 14 leaders and activists of the banned militant outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (Huji), including its chief Mufti Abdul Hannan, in connection with the incident.
Mufti Hannan and eight other accused now in police custody were taken to the court for the verdict. They were sent back to jail around noon to wait until the next date.
Five other accused in the case are on the run. The runaways include Moulana Tajuddin, brother of BNP leader Abdus Salam Pintu.
Security was beefed up on the court premises ahead of the set date for verdict.
Two cases were filed with Ramna Police Station over the concert-bombing incident-- one for the killings and the other under the explosives act. It took the investigators over seven years to trace Huji links with the attack.
The case under the explosive substances act has been stuck-up. In 2009, the Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 of Dhaka sought the Supreme Court registrar's opinion as to whether both the cases could be tried analogous. The registrar's response has yet to reach the tribunal.