The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the death penalty of three former army personnel and life term imprisonment of eight others in the historic Jail killing case.
The three convicts who were awarded the death penalty are: Risalder (retd) Muslemuddin, Dafadar (dismissed) Marfat Ali Shah and Dafadar (dismissed) Abdul Hashem Mridha.
The eight convicts who were handed down life term imprisonment are: Lt Col (dismissed) Khondaker Abdur Rashid, Lt Col (relieved) Shariful Haq Dalim, Lt Col (retd) SHMB Noor Chowdhury, Lt Col (retd) AM Rashed Chowdhury, Maj (relieved) Ahmed Shariful Hossain, Capt (retd) Abdul Majed, Capt (relieved) Kismat Hasem and Capt (relieved) Nazmul Hossain.
All the convicts are now on the run.
The SC came up with the order acting a government appeal challenging a High Court verdict in the case filed for killing four national leaders — Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmad, AHM Quamruzzaman and Captain Mansur Ali — inside the Dhaka Central Jail on November 3, 1975.
After the verdict, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam told The Daily Star that the SC verdict will act as console for the nation as the convicted killers of the four national leaders are fugitive.
The six-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Md Muzammel Hossain announced the verdict after turning down the High Court judgement in this case.
The SC in the verdict upheld the trial court judgement which had convicted and sentenced three army personnel to death and handed down life term imprisonment to 12 others.
Of the convicts, four– Lt Col (dismissed) Syed Farooq-ur Rahman, Lt Col (retd) Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, Maj (retd) Bazlul Huda and Maj (Retd) AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed– were already executed in the Bangabandhu assassination case.
The SC in its verdict on Tuesday said the allegations of conspiracy against the convicts to kill the four national leaders have been proved.
In 2004, the Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court of Dhaka sentenced to death Risalder (retd) Muslemuddin, Dafadar (dismissed) Marfat Ali Shah and Dafadar (dismissed) Abdul Hashem Mridha.
On August 28, 2008, the HC upheld the capital punishment of Muslemuddin and acquitted Marfat and Hashem. It also acquitted Farooq, Shahriar, Mohiuddin and Bazlul Huda.
Source: The Daily Star
