Verdict on Sayedee any day

A verdict on Jamaat-e-Islami leader Delwar Hossain Sayadee;s death sentence is due any day now, after the Appellate Division turned down appeals of both prosecution and defence on Wednesday. The five-member Appellate Division, led by Chief Justice Md Muzammel Hossain, observed after hearing arguments of both sides: “Both the petitions are rejected. Judgment CAV.” The Latin term ‘Curia advisari vult’ (CAV for short) literally means ‘the court wishes to be advised’, meaning it reserves the judgment for another day. This court had given such orders before. The current order means that the judges would like to take time for deliberations after hearing both sides in the case. ‘CAV’ status means it has not taken any decision as yet. On Tuesday, the bench ended hearing of both sides, but did not declare the petition as awaiting verdict. Rather, it scheduled the orders on two petitions, one from the defence and one from the prosecution, on Wednesday. On Feb 28 last year, the ICT-1 pronounced a death sentence for Sayedee for his involvement in crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War. Of the 20 charges against him, Sayedee was given the death penalty for two – the murder of Ibrahim Kutti and Bisabali, and for setting fire to Hindu households in Pirojpur district in 1971. Six other charges were also proven beyond doubt but no sentence was given as Sayadee had already been given the death penalty. On Mar 28 last year, Sayedee appealed against the death sentence, seeking acquittal. The prosecution has appealed for punishment for the six other proven charges for the sake of ‘full justice’, according to bdnews24.com.