SC starts proceedings of Bangabandhu murder case
Wednesday, 8 August 2007
The Supreme Court (SC) ended Tuesday the first day's proceedings of the Bangabandhu murder case that was started after a pause of more than five years.
The court further continues the proceedings today (Wednesday), reports bdnews24.com.
The Appellate Division started hearing Tuesday a series of appeals for permission to move against the High Court's death sentences handed down in 2001 in the landmark case that had been ignored for years.
The independence leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was assassinated along with most of his family members on August 15, 1975 at his Dhanmondi residence.
His two daughters, Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana, were spared since they were abroad on the deadly night of the brutal murders.
Some of the killers, however, proclaimed through foreign media that they had killed Bangabandhu and his family members. But the subsequent governments had spared them from being tried for years. Some of them were rewarded with overseas jobs at foreign missions.
A case was filed on October 2, 1996-21 years after the historic killing and it was only after Hasina came to power.
The High Court in 2001 upheld death sentences of 12 convicts.
The present caretaker government finally decided to revive the proceedings, and a three-member special panel of Justice Tafazzal Islam, Justice Joynal Abedin and Justice Md Hasan Amin revived the course of law at 9:18am Tuesday.
They started off with rejecting an appeal moved by a lawyer on behalf of two convicts, Bazlul Huda and Syed Faruque Rahman, for deferral of the hearing.
Advocate on record Nurul Islam said: "Abdus Sobhan, Bazlul Huda's lawyer, died and Mahbubur Rahman was appointed as his new lawyer. But Rahman suffered a heart attack. That's why here is the prayer for more time to allow readjustment."
The court said in response: "We have reassembled here today after a long period to hear the case, not to postpone."
The court then rejected the prayer for time extension and said: "Let's proceed."
The court further continues the proceedings today (Wednesday), reports bdnews24.com.
The Appellate Division started hearing Tuesday a series of appeals for permission to move against the High Court's death sentences handed down in 2001 in the landmark case that had been ignored for years.
The independence leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was assassinated along with most of his family members on August 15, 1975 at his Dhanmondi residence.
His two daughters, Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana, were spared since they were abroad on the deadly night of the brutal murders.
Some of the killers, however, proclaimed through foreign media that they had killed Bangabandhu and his family members. But the subsequent governments had spared them from being tried for years. Some of them were rewarded with overseas jobs at foreign missions.
A case was filed on October 2, 1996-21 years after the historic killing and it was only after Hasina came to power.
The High Court in 2001 upheld death sentences of 12 convicts.
The present caretaker government finally decided to revive the proceedings, and a three-member special panel of Justice Tafazzal Islam, Justice Joynal Abedin and Justice Md Hasan Amin revived the course of law at 9:18am Tuesday.
They started off with rejecting an appeal moved by a lawyer on behalf of two convicts, Bazlul Huda and Syed Faruque Rahman, for deferral of the hearing.
Advocate on record Nurul Islam said: "Abdus Sobhan, Bazlul Huda's lawyer, died and Mahbubur Rahman was appointed as his new lawyer. But Rahman suffered a heart attack. That's why here is the prayer for more time to allow readjustment."
The court said in response: "We have reassembled here today after a long period to hear the case, not to postpone."
The court then rejected the prayer for time extension and said: "Let's proceed."