Court Report: The much-discussed verdict on the August 21 grenade attack case will be delivered by the High Court on Sunday.
The bench of Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayet Hossain will announce the ruling.
The case, which was revived after the fall of the Awami League government, involves the death reference (approval of the death sentence) and appeals filed by the accused against the trial court’s verdict.
The High Court bench, after hearing the case, has kept it pending for judgment.
After the formation of the interim government, on October 23, the death reference and appeals in this sensational murder case were sent to the High Court bench led by Justice AKM Asaduzzaman for hearing.
On October 31, the hearing began with the submission of the paperbook by the prosecution. After hearing arguments from both the prosecution and defense, the case was kept awaiting judgment.
On August 21, 2004, a grenade attack targeted then-opposition leader and former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s rally.
The attack killed 24 people, including party members, and injured Sheikh Hasina and hundreds of others. Two separate cases were filed, one for murder and one for explosives.
In 2018, the trial court convicted 19 people, including former State Minister for Home Lutfozzaman Babar and former Deputy Education Minister Abdus Salam Pintu, sentencing them to death.
Additionally, 19 people, including BNP’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman, were sentenced to life imprisonment, and 11 others received various prison terms and fines.
The case was then sent to the High Court for death sentence approval in 2018. Meanwhile, the convicted individuals in custody filed separate jail appeals and regular appeals through the prison authorities.
In December 2022, the prosecution began hearings in a dual bench. However, after a change in government, one judge in the dual bench was replaced, leading to a restructuring of the bench.
Consequently, the new bench resumed the appeal hearings on October 31.