The wait for judgement in the August 21 grenade attack cases could end soon, as trial in the cases are expected to be completed by December this year.
“It is impossible to say the exact time of completion of the trial. But, we hope that it will be completed by December this year,” the chief prosecutor of the cases, advocate Syed Rezaur Rahman, told the Dhaka Tribune.
Judge Shahed Nuruddin of Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal 1 is simultaneously conducting the trials of the cases — one for murder and the other under the Explosive Substances Act — at a makeshift court set up at a building near the gate of Dhaka Central Jail.
The court has so far recorded depositions of 320 prosecution witnesses – 160 in explosive substances case and 160 in murder case. As the witnesses are same in both cases, the court is recording deposition of witnesses in two cases simultaneously.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is also expected to testify before the court as a prosecution witness in the cases.
“We are thinking about the prime minister’s deposition in the cases,” Chief Prosecutor Rezaur said.
Commenting on the slow pace of the trial, the prosecutor said the defence – on behalf of four accused – had gone to the High Court against the court orders, and had wasted 292 working days following the move.
On July 3, 2012, Criminal Investigation Department submitted two separate supplementary charge sheets in the cases against 30 people.
The first charge sheet was placed in 2008 against 22 people, including ex-deputy minister of the BNP Abdus Salam Pintu and chief of the banned outfit Harkatul Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI) Mufti Abdul Hannan.
Eight of the 52 accused are now on bail while 26 others, including former state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar, are behind bars. BNP Senior Vice-chairman Tarique Rahman and 17 other accused have been absconding in the cases.
According to the supplementary charge sheets, the grenade attack on the Awami League rally was the outcome of collaboration between Huji, influential leaders of the BNP and the Jamaat, and some officials of the Home Ministry, police, Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), National Security Intelligence (NSI) and Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
The gruesome grenade attack was carried out on an anti-terrorism rally of Awami League on August 21, 2004, with an aim to eliminate the party leadership.
The grenade attack left 24 Awami League leaders and activists, including late President Zillur Rahman’s wife Ivy Rahman, dead and nearly 300 others injured. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina narrowly escaped death.