The prosecution expressed hope to complete the trial in the August 21, 2004 grenade attack cases in shortest possible time as it got pace with the delivery of verdict in the 10-truck arms haul case of Chittagong.
“We wanted to complete the trial in the August 21 grenade attack cases as soon as possible without hampering justice,” said Chief Prosecutor Advocate Syed Rezaur Rahman.
He hoped that the trial process in the grenade attack case would be expedited as the verdict in the 10-truck arms haul case had already been pronounced clearing the way to produce the four common accused in both the grenade and arms haul cases before the court. The next hearing on the case will be held on February 11.
The prosecution is thinking to hold the trial proceeding in three or four days a week instead of two days.
The grenade attack was carried out on an anti-terrorism rally of Awami League at the Bangabandhu Avenue in the capital aimed at killing its front ranking leaders to make the party leaderless.
A total of 24 Awami League leaders and activists including Ivy Rahman, the then Mohila Awami League president and also wife of late president M Zillur Rahman, were killed.
Awami League President and the then leader of the opposition Sheikh Hasina narrowly survived the attack, but suffered critical ear injuries while some of her senior party colleagues including late mayor of Dhaka City Corporation Mohammad Hanif sustained serious splinter injuries.
A total of 52 accused including BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia’s eldest son Tarique Rahman and the then state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar are now facing trial in the August 21 grenade attack case.
During the BNP-Jamaat rule till October 2006, the investigators were out to divert the investigation to a wrong direction to save the real culprits.
The CID failed to submit charge sheets though leaders in the then government claimed several times that the probe was about to be completed and everything would be revealed.
The then BNP-Jamaat government tried to divert the investigation into another direction. The visible attempt to frustrate the case by the then BNP-led regime prompted the subsequent caretaker government to order a fresh investigation.
In 2007, the caretaker government started fresh investigation into the matter while the AL-led grand alliance government conducted reinvestigation after assuming power in 2008.
Defence lawyers have so far cross-examined 73 of 491 witnesses of the cases.
“A long period of time has already passed and now the defence lawyers are killing time by arguing on unnecessary legal points,” Chief Prosecutor Advocate Syed Rezaur Rahman said.
Replying to another query on curtailing witnesses’ list, he said, “The case is very important. It will take deposition of the witnesses as much as necessary to prove the allegation and ensure justice.”
The defence lawyer, however, said it would take much more time to complete the trial as many witnesses were yet to give their depositions.