Partly allowing a time plea moved by Barrister Abdur Razzaq for homework, the counsel for detained war crimes accused Mir Quasem Ali, a policymaker of Jamaat-e-Islami, the International Crimes Tribunal-1 on Wednesday re-fixed August 18 for hearing on discharge petition.
The three-member tribunal, headed by Justice ATM Fazle Kabir, passed the order, turning down the objection raised by the prosecution as the defence plea would delay the trial process.
The defence counsel sought four weeks’ time for homework on its discharge petition after enjoying privileged communication with the accused in custody, but the tribunal allowed 11 days only.
Quasem Ali, the then Chittagong district head of Al Badr, a vigilante group of Jamaat-e-Islami, faces 14 counts of charges of crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War.
According to the prosecution, Quasem Ali, also a 1971 front-ranking leader of Islami Chhatra Sangha (ICS), had perpetrated various crimes against humanity like killing, looting, abduction, persecution, genocide, rape, and setting fire to the houses of unarmed civilians during the Liberation War in collaboration with Pakistan occupation army.
The war-crimes accused had also set up makeshift torture camps at different places in the port city where freedom-loving people were handed down punishment.
Police produced Quasem Ali in the tribunal amid tight security before the defence counsel made adjournment plea.
