Nizami Trial: Hearing on summing-up arguments Monday

The hearing on the summing-up arguments will begin afresh on Monday at the reconstituted International Crimes Tribunal-1 in the case of detained Jamaat-e-Islami ameer Matiur Rahman Nizami being tried on charges of crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War. The rehearing on the summing up arguments will take place due to ‘non-existence’ of the tribunal following vacancy of the post of its chairman for long. The prosecution will again initiate summing-up argument with law points, to be followed by the defence counsel. Earlier, the three-member tribunal with Justice ATM  Fazle Kabir as its chairman had kept pending its verdict in the Nizami case to be delivered any day, after closing the summing-up arguments from both the prosecution and the defence sides since November last year. On February 26, the reconstituted ICT-1 with Justice M Enayetur Rahim as its chairman took over 56 days after his predecessor went on retirement. Hearing both sides, the reconstituted tribunal recalled its earlier order (judgment to be delivered any day) and fixed March 10 for rehearing summing-up arguments in the Nizami case, according to a news agency.