A Dhaka court on Tuesday sentenced a 43-year-old man to death and fined him Tk 5 lakh for raping his 13-year-old step-daughter in the capital’s Kamrangirchar area.
Judge Masrur Salekin of the Dhaka Metropolitan Children Violence Suppression Tribunal, also a district and sessions judge, pronounced the verdict on September 29. Bench Assistant Pankaj Peter Gomes confirmed the matter.
According to the case statement, the victim was a seventh-grade student who lived with the accused, her mother’s second husband.
On August 28, 2023, the accused allegedly raped the girl at their home in Nabinagar, Kamrangirchar, when no one else was present. He later raped her several times, threatening to kill her. The girl became pregnant and subsequently gave birth to a child.
The victim’s mother filed a case under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act with Kamrangirchar Police Station on the same day.
After completing the investigation, police submitted a charge sheet against the accused on January 23, 2025. The tribunal framed charges on August 24, 2025, and commenced the trial.
During the trial, the court recorded testimony from six prosecution witnesses. After examining the evidence and hearing arguments, the court found the accused guilty and sentenced him to death, along with a fine of Tk 5 lakh.
Under Section 9(1) of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act, 2000, the court ordered that the convict be hanged by the neck until death.
The fine will be paid to the victim or her legal guardian. If the amount is not paid within the stipulated period, the court ordered that it be recovered by auctioning the convict’s movable or immovable property.
In its observations, the court said Section 9(1) provides two sentencing options for rape: the death penalty or life imprisonment with hard labour.
The court observed that Jamal Hossain had raped a 13-year-old child and that ensuring appropriate punishment for such an offence was its responsibility.
Citing a decision of the Supreme Court’s Appellate Division, the court said the crime was committed not only against the victim but also against the society to which she belongs.