The High Court on Monday set February 17 for delivering its verdict on the death reference and appeals in a case filed over the murder attempt on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Kotalipara, Gopalganj in 2000.
The virtual bench of Justice Jahangir Hossain Selim and Justice Md Badruzzaman fixed the date after concluding hearing on the death reference and appeals in the case.
Attorney General AM Amin Uddin and Deputy Attorney General D Md Bashir Ullah, Assistant Attorney General A Mohammad Shahin Mridha stood for the state.
State appointed Lawyer Amulya Kumar Sarkar moved for the fugitive convicts and Lawyer Mohammad Ahasan represented the convicts.
The High Court on September 16 last year began hearing on the death reference and appeals filed by the convicts in the case.
Earlier on August 20, 2017, Dhaka's Speedy Trial Tribunal 2 sentenced 10 persons to death in the case.
The 10 death row convicts are Asim Akter alias Tarek Hossain, Md Rashed Driver alias Abul Kalam, Md Yusuf alias Moshab Morol, Sheikh Farid alias Maulana Shawkat Osman, Hafez Jahangir Alam Badar, Maulana Abu Bakar, Hafez Maulana Yahiya, Mufti Shafiqur Rahman, Mufti Abdul Hye and Maulana Abdur Rouf.
Mehedi Hasan alias Abdul Wadud, one of the accused, got life imprisonment and was fined Tk10,000 in the case.
The court also handed down 14 years’ rigorous imprisonment to three other accused, including Md Anisul Islam alias Anis, and fined each of them Tk10,000.
Altogether 10 people, including Khandaker Kamal Uddin, were acquitted of the murder attempt charge.
The same court also sentenced nine people to 20 years’ rigorous imprisonment and fined Tk20,000 each in a case filed under the explosive substances act over the unearthing of 76kg explosives near the venue of the rally of Sheikh Hasina at Kotalipara in Gopalganj in 2000.
Those handed 20-year imprisonment terms are-- Md Yusuf alias Moshab Morol, Mehedi Hasan alias Abdul Wadud, Asim Akter alias Tarek Hossain, Md Mohibullah alias Mofizur Rahman, Mahmud Azhar, Md Rashed Driver alias Abul Kalam, Md Shah Newaz and Sheikh Md Enamul Haque.
Police found a 76kg bomb in front of a shop adjacent to Sheikh Lutfur Rahman Govt High School on July 20, 2000, where Prime Minister Hasina was supposed to address a rally on July 22 of the year.
Another 40kg heavy bomb was also recovered by an army bomb expert squad from near the Kotalipara helipad on July 23.
Nur Hossain, sub-inspector of Kotalipara police station, filed a case under the Explosive Substances Act in connection with the incident.
Police pressed charges against 16 people, including executed Harkat-ul-Jihad (Huji) chief Mufti Abdul Hannan, on April 8, 2001.
On June 29, 2009, police submitted a complementary charge sheet implicating nine more people.
Mufti Hannan was executed on April 12, 2017, over the grenade attack on the then UK High Commissioner Anwar Choudhury at Shahjalal Shrine in Sylhet in 2004.
BDST: 1905 HRS, FEB 01, 2021
AP/SMS
