The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court is set to deliver its verdict on June 16 in the appeal case of Jamaat-e-Islami leader Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid, who had led the systematic killing of intellectuals at the fag end of the 1971 Liberation War as the chief of notorious death squad al-Badr.
A four-member bench headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha set the date yesterday after concluding arguments by both defence and state counsels.
During the nine days of hearing on the appeal, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam argued for the state while BNP chief’s Adviser Khandker Mahbub Hossain and SM Shajahan stood for the Jamaat leader.
Mujahid's lawyers argued that the Jamaat leader had not served as the chief of al-Badr. Even the investigation officer did not find his name on the list of al-Badr, another defence lawyer Shishir Monir claimed.
The attorney general later told reporters that most of the Islami Chhatra Sangha members had joined al-Badr. Mentioning about the speech of Chhatra Sangha chief in December 1971, and citing newspaper clippings and books, he argued that it was Mujahid who had led the notorious death squad.
“Mujahid encouraged al-Badr members to commit murders by giving speech against the freedom fighters and the Hindus. We hope that the court will upheld his death penalty,” Mahbubey said.
Mujaheed led al-Badr, formed with members of Jamaat’s student wing as an auxiliary force of the Pakistani occupation forces, during the war.
The tribunal 2 on July 17, 2013 sentenced the 67-year-old Jamaat secretary general to death after it found him guilty on five out of seven charges brought against him by the prosecution.
He was given death penalty on two charges – for abetting and facilitating killing of intellectuals, and participating in and facilitating the murder of nine Hindu civilians in Faridpur.
Mujahid appealed against the tribunal verdict on August 11, 2013 seeking acquittal.
So far, the Appellate Division has delivered verdict in three appeals cases – upheld death sentences awarded to Jamaat assistant secretaries general Abdul Quader Molla and Mohammad Kamaruzzaman, commuted death penalty of another Jamaat leader Delawar Hossain Sayedee to imprisonment until death.
Quader Molla was executed on December 12, 2013 while Kamaruzzaman on April 11 this year.
The bench is set to hear seven more appeals cases.
