The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence to two convicts in Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) leader Kazi Aref murder case.
A four-member bench led by Chief Justice Md Muzammel Hossain passed the order on Wednesday morning, rejecting the review petitions filed by the two convicted killers.
The convicts are Anwar Hossain and Rashedul alias Jhantu.
Additional Attorney General Momotaj Uddin Fakir moved for the state and Kandakar Mahbub Hossain stood for the petitioners during the hearing.
The then JSD chief Kazi Aref and three other JSD leaders were killed by an armed gang at a rally at Kalidaspur on February 16, 1999.
On August 30, 2004, the then additional district and sessions judge Fazlur Rahman pronounced the verdict sentencing 10 people to death and 12 others to life-term imprisonment for the killings.
On September 25, 2004, the convicts who have been in jail appealed in the High Court against the lower court verdict.
On 5 August, 2008, a High Court bench acquitted one of the death sentence awardees and upheld punishment of others after primary hearing.