SC verdict on appeal against Tarique's acquittal Sep 4

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Thursday concluded the hearing on an appeal filed by the state against a High Court verdict that acquitted all the accused, including exiled acting BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman, in two cases filed over the August 21 grenade attack.
The apex court also set September 4 this year to deliver its verdict on the appeal.
A six-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Syed Dr Refaat Ahmed passed the order.
Earlier on the day, defence lawyer Mohammad Shishir Manir prayed to the court to dismiss the appeal and to uphold the HC verdict, saying that the prosecution has failed to prove the charges brought against his clients.
On Wednesday, another defence lawyer SM Shahjahan told the Appellate Division that there is no evidence of the accused persons' involvement in the incident of grenade attack or in the conspiracy and their presence at the place of occurrence.
Meanwhile, Deputy Attorney General Abdullah Al Mahmud Masud prayed to the apex court to scrap the HC judgment and to affirm the trial court verdict in the cases.
On December 1 last year, a High Court bench exonerated acting BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman, former state minister for home affairs Lutfozzaman Babar and all other accused in the cases. A High Court bench comprising Justice A K M Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayet Hossain delivered the verdict after hearings on death references and appeals filed against the trial-court verdict.
Later on March 19, the state filed an appeal against the High Court verdict.
Two cases were filed with the Motijheel Police Station following the grenade attack on an Awami League rally at Bangabandhu Avenue in Dhaka on August 21, 2004 that claimed 24 lives and left about 300 injured. One was filed for murder and another was filed under the Explosives Act.
Then opposition leader Sheikh Hasina, who later ran the country for 15 years as prime minister and was forced to resign and flee on August 5 last year following a mass uprising, narrowly escaped the attack.

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