Khairul Alam: Today is the fateful 21st of August. 19 years ago on this day, 13 people accused in the gruesome grenade attack on Bangabandhu Avenue in the capital have not been caught yet. The names of four of the accused, who have not been arrested, have been hanging on the red notices on the website of the International Police Agency (Interpol) for a long time.
Apart from Tarek Rahman, son of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, law enforcement agencies have no specific information about the whereabouts of the accused.
On 21 August 2004, 24 people were killed in a grenade attack on Awami League President Sheikh Hasina’s rally. Sheikh Hasina and more than three hundred workers were injured in the attack.
The next day of the attack, Sharif Farooq Ahmed Sub, inspector of Motijheel police station, filed a case as a plaintiff. Twenty-two people have been charged, including Mufti Abdul Hannan, leader of the terrorist group Harkatul Jihad.
On 29 October 2008, the Speedy Trial Tribunal framed charges and commenced the trial. CID took charge of the investigation of this case by turning into the hands of the police , DB.
Four years after the incident, under the caretaker government, on 11 June 2008, CID Senior ASP Fazlul Kabir filed two separate charge sheets under the Explosives Act and murder charges.
After the Awami League came to power in 2009, the state requested further investigation into the matter and the tribunal granted it. CID Special Superintendent Abdul Kahar Akand, after further investigation, filed a supplementary charge sheet on July 3, 2011, adding 30 more people to the list of accused.
The names of some ministers of the four-party coalition government along with Tarek Rahman and BNP-Jamaat leaders came up there. A total of 52 accused have been tried in two cases, but in another case, three people have been hanged, and a total of 49 accused have been tried by the judicial court.
At the same time, 19 people, including Tarek Rahman, Khaleda Zia’s political secretary Harish Chaudhary, were sentenced to life imprisonment. In addition, 11 police and army officers were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment.
During the verdict, 31 accused, including Lutfuzzaman Babar, Abdus Salam Pintu, were shown in jail. At the same time, 18 people, including Tarek Rahman and Harish Chowdhary, have been shown absconding.
On November 27 the same year, the trial court’s verdict reached the death reference wing of the High Court along with the necessary documents. The Death Reference Wing of the High Court examines the cases and prepares the paper book.
Meanwhile, the convicts appealed against the verdict of the judicial court, jail appeal. Later on January 13, 2019, the High Court accepted the death reference and jail appeal of the convicts in two cases.
These appeals, jail appeals, case judgments and all the documents were verified and sent to BG Press for making paper books. From there, the paperbook reached the Supreme Court on August 16, 2020. After another round of scrutiny, it was prepared for a hearing.
Among these, lawyers are appointed on behalf of fugitives accused at state expense. Later, the Chief Justice fixed the bench for a hearing on a priority basis. 
On October 30 and 31 last year, the court kept waiting for the hearing when the case was listed for two hearings. Later, the hearing started on December 4.
In these two cases, out of 225 witnesses, 224 have completed their testimony. After the testimony of the 225th witness is over, the judgment of the trial court will be presented.
Through this, after the presentation of the paper book of this case, first the accused party, then the state party will present arguments. After that, the trial will end with legal arguments.