A Dhaka court has begun hearing the argument in defence of Oishee Rahman, prime accused in the 2013 murder of her parents Police Special Branch Inspector Mahfuzur Rahman and Swapna Rahman, and her two friends.
Police produced Oishee and her friend Asaduzzaman Jony before the court Tuesday, while another accused, her other friend Mizanur Rahman Rony who is out on bail, attended the trial proceedings.
Judge Sayeed Ahmed of Speedy Trial Tribunal 3 heard Oishee's defence counsel Faruk Ahmed present his argument. The court set the next hearing date on October 27 to hear the rest of the argument.
Defending Oishee at the court Tuesday, her lawyer Faruk said the prosecution had not produced proper witness for the case.
Referring to Mahfuzur's brother Mashiur Rahman's testimony, Faruk argued that since Oishee was a minor when the murders took place, her trial must be held at a juvenile court instead of a general court, as per the law.
Mashiur, who is the plaintiff in the case, said during his testimony that his brother had gotten married in 1994 and Oishee was born after two years, so she was not an adult at the time of the murders and therefore should be tried under a juvenile court.
Faruk further said: ‘‘Since she was addicted drugs at the time, she should be released as per Section 85 of the Penal Code.”
Earlier on October 13, Oishee claimed that she had not killed her parents.
In her written statement, she said the male police members who had interrogated her during her remand had tortured her into giving a confessional statement.
The tribunal concluded recording testimonies of prosecution witnesses in the case on October 7; a total of 39 out of 57 witnesses testified in the case.
According to the case, Oishee's parents' dead bodies were found at their Chamelibagh residence in the capital on August 16, 2013.
Oishee surrendered at Paltan police station the next day, and detectives arrested her friends Jony and Rony and domestic help in her house Sumi on suspicion of their involvement in the murders.
According to the case charge sheets, Oishee alone killed her parents while Jony instigated the murders and Rony gave her shelter after the incident. Sumi has been accused of assisting Oishee in concealing the bodies.
