SC asks lower court to finish trial in 6 months

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Monday ordered the Speedy Trial Tribunal-2 of Dhaka to finish in the next six months the trial proceedings of the case filed in connection with the murder of film actor Sohel Chowdhury, 25 years ago.
A four-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan passed the order after dismissing a leave to appeal petition filed by the state challenging the HC's bail order to Ashish Roy Chowdhury, an accused in the case.
Meanwhile, M Ali Ahmed, judge of the of tribunal, in a written explanation told the SC that his court could not finish the trial proceedings as the prosecution could not produce the witnesses before the tribunal for giving depositions in the case, said Shah Monjurul Hoque, a lawyer for Ashish.
The lawyer said there was no legal bar for Ashish Roy to get released from jail following the Appellate Division's order.
Earlier on February 6, the apex court asked the lower court concerned to finish the trial proceedings of the case in six months.
On October 29, this year, the lawyer of the accused told the court that the stipulated time framed by the apex court ended on October 11 and the trial proceedings have not finished yet.
Then the apex court issued a show cause notice upon the judge of the tribunal, asking him to explain as to why his court could not finish the trial proceedings of the murder case within six months, even after the SC had ordered for doing so.