Bangladesh’s Appellate Division on Tuesday (October 21) adjourned for four weeks the hearing of appeals in the 2014 Narayanganj seven-murder case, following a request from the defence. 

The order was issued by a bench led by the chief justice.

Additional attorney general Aneek R. Haque appeared for the state during the brief proceedings. 

The case stems from the abduction of seven people, including Narayanganj City Corporation panel mayor Nazrul Islam and senior lawyer Chandan Kumar Sarker, on April 27, 2014. Their bodies were recovered three days later from the Shitalakkhya River. 

Two cases were filed by Nazrul’s wife, Selina Islam Beauty, and Sarker’s son-in-law, Bijoy Kumar Paul. 

A Narayanganj court in January 2017 sentenced 26 people to death, including former councillor Nur Hossain and three sacked RAB-11 officers—Lt Col (retd) Tareque Sayeed Mohammad, Maj Arif Hossain and Lt Cdr Masud Rana. Nine others received various jail terms. 

In August 2017, the High Court upheld death sentences for 15 of the convicts and commuted 11 to life imprisonment, while maintaining other custodial terms. Subsequent appeals and death-reference proceedings brought the matter before the Appellate Division. 

SMS/