The High Court on Monday set February 17 to pass its judgement on death reference and jail appeals of the convicts in a case lodged over an attempt to murder Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Kotalipara, Gopalganj, in 2000.

“Hearing concluded, judgment on February 17,” said a High Court division virtual bench of Justice Jahangir Hossain and Justice Md Badruzzaman. The court came up with the order after both the state and defence concluded their parts of the hearing on the matter.

Attorney General AM Amin Uddin, Deputy Attorney General Dr Md Boshir Ullah and Assistant Attorney General A Mohammad Shahin Mridha stood for the state, while Mohammad Ahsan and Amulla Kumar Sarker argued for the accused.

“We have been able to prove the wide-ranging conspiracy of the accused to make the country leaderless by murdering Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The accused have confessed their crimes under section 164. We hope the judgement of the lower court concerned would be upheld,” Attorney General AM Amin Uddin told the newsmen after today’s proceedings.

The chief state counsel said the court would pronounce its judgement in Bengali marking the International Mother Language Day.

The High Court on September 16, 2020, started its hearing on the matter.

Dhaka 2nd Speedy Trial Tribunal on August 20, 2017, sentenced 10 persons to death in the case, as Judge Mamtaz in her order had said the convicts can be executed either by hanging or by shooting, with permission from the High Court.

The lower court had examined 68 witnesses out of the total 83.

According to the case documents, army men recovered a 76-kg powerful bomb on July 22, 2000, from the premises of Sheikh Lutfor Rahman Government Ideal College when a podium was being made for Prime Minister’s rally.

Another powerful bomb was recovered in the area the very next day. Then Kotalipara Police Station sub inspector Nur Hossain filed a case in the regard on that day.

CID assistant superintendant of police Munshi Atikur Rahman on April 8, 2001, filed charge sheet against Harkat ul-Jihad al-Islami (HuJI) chief Mufti Abdul Hannan and others.

Later the case was transferred to the Dhaka court.

Mufti Hannan has already been executed on April 12, 2017, for 2004 grenade attack at Hazrat Shahjalal (RA) shrine in Sylhet. His name was dropped from Prime Minister murder attempt case.

Judge Tamanna Farah of Senior Judicial Magistrate Court-4 in Cox’s Bazar passed the order around 11:00am.

Accepting the charge sheet in the case, the court also issued an arrest warrant to detain fugitive Sagor.

Earlier on December 13, RAB senior assistant police super Mohammad Khayrul Islam submitted charge sheet before the same court.

On July 31, retired Army major Sinha Mohammad Rashed Khan was killed in police firing in Cox’s Bazar Marine Drive.

The convicts are—Gulzar Hossain, Ashique, Shihab Ahmed alias Shibu, Ahsanul Kabir Emon, Tajul Islam Tanu, Jahangir Khan alias Jahangir and Rafiqul Islam alias Amin alias Tunda Amin.

Judge of Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 Abu Zafor Mohammad Kamruzzaman handed down the verdict in absence of the convicts.

The court also sentenced them to seven years’ imprisonment and fined Tk 50,000 each, in default, to suffer one year more rigorous imprisonment.

Besides, the court acquitted an accused of the case as the allegation brought against her could not be proved.

According to the prosecution, Atik Ullah, a former chairman of Konda Union in Keraniganj, had gone missing on December 10, 2013.

Later, the charred body of Atik Ullah, also a freedom fighter, was found at the morgue of a hospital at Doleswar in South Keraniganj area the following day.

The convicts in collusion with each other killed the Awami League leader and then set fire to the body.

Saidur Rahman Faruk Chowdhury, son of the victim, recognised the body of his father.

A case was filed with Keraniganj Model Police Station. On January 31, 2015, police submitted chargesheet against eight people.

On July 2, 2015, a court framed charges against them.

The accused are: former vice presidents of Farmers Bank Ltd Md Lutfol Haque and Swapan Kumar Roy, and two businessmen Md Shahjahan and Niranjan Chandra Saha.

They secured bail from a Dhaka court on August 18 after they surrendered to the court in connection with the case.

Today, the HC issued a rule asking the state why the bail order to the four accused should not be scrapped.

The bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Ahmed Sohel came up with the rule during a virtual hearing of a petition filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission seeking cancellation of the bail order.

ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan told The Daily Star there are specific allegations against Lutfol, Swapan, Shahjahan and Niranjan of laundering money and therefore, they cannot be granted bail in the case.

The ACC filed the case with its Segunbagicha office on July 10 last year against former chief justice SK Sinha and 10 others on charge of laundering Tk 4 crore. Sinha, who is now in the United States, sent his resignation letter to the Bangabhaban on November 10, 2017 from abroad.

Justice Begum Mosammat Kamrunnahar of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-7 pronounced the verdict on Thursday.

The court also fined him Tk50,000, in default, asked him to serve six months more rigorous imprisonment.The verdict in this case has been announced in just 13 working days.

Majnu became furious inside the courtroom when the trial began. He started scolding the judge and lawyers. The situation there was not congenial to pass the verdict. So, the judge pronounced the verdict in her private room in presence of public prosecutor and the defense counsel.

On 12 November, Justice Begum Mosammat Quamrunnahar of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-7 in Dhaka set Thursday to deliver the judgment in the case, after conclusion of hearing argument in the case.

The victim, a second-year student of Dhaka University, was picked up by the rapist after she got down from bus in Kurmitola area in the capital on 5 January afternoon and then was taken to a secret place, where she was raped and tortured.

The next day, victim’s father filed a case with Cantonment police station, accusing unknown people.

Later, RAB arrested 30-year-old Majnu from Shewra area on 8 January and the tribunal framed charges against him on 26 August.