A Kushtia court has delivered its verdict in a rape case in just three working days, setting a record for the fastest disposal of a rape case in Bangladesh.
Kushtia Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal Judge Munshi Moshiur Rahman sentenced madrasa superintendent Abdul Quader to life in prison, along with imposing a fine of Tk1 lakh, on Tuesday for raping a female student in the district’s Mirpur upazila.
The convict, Quader. was the superintendent of Sirajul Islam Darul Uloom Maryam Nesa Women's Madrasa at Poradaha.
He was asked to give the Tk1 lakh fine to the rape survivor, a Class VIII student. Failing to pay the fine will earn Quader an additional six months in prison.
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Delivery of verdict in a rape case within three working days after indictment is a landmark event in the country’s history, said Public Prosecutor Anup Kumar Nandi.
He said the court had indicted Quader on November 12 as per the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act, 2000.
Police officials escort madrasa superintendent Abdul Quader at a Kushtia court on Tuesday, November 17, 2020 | Dhaka Tribune
November 13 and 14 were Friday and Saturday. The proceedings of the trial resumed on Sunday.
After recording the testimonies of 13 witnesses, the court sentenced Quader to lifetime imprisonment.
“This verdict sets an example in the country, especially for the prevention of rape,” the public prosecutor said.
This verdict comes around a month after another speedy disposal of a rape case.
On October 19, a Bagerhat court sentenced 50-year-old Abdul Mannan Sardar to life in prison for raping a seven-year-old child, only a week after the case went to trial.
Until the Kushtia verdict on Tuesday, the Bagerhat verdict was the quickest in the country’s history of rape trials.
These speedy disposal of cases come on the back of the recent nationwide protests demanding swift punishment for rapists, following a series of gruesome rape incidents that took place across the country.
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Following the protests, the government introduced an amendment to the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act, 2000, introducing the death penalty as the highest punishment for rape.
The amended law was passed in parliament on Tuesday.
What happened in Kushtia?
According to the prosecution, Quader summoned the girl, a resident student of the madrasa, to his room after Fajr prayers on October 4, where he raped her. On the same day, at around 8pm, Quader raped the student again.
As word spread about the assault, local residents and madrasa students laid siege to the institution and staged demonstrations, demanding exemplary punishment for Quader.
On October 5, Mirpur upazila police arrested Quader after the rape survivor’s father filed a case against Quader.
Police submitted the charge sheet against Quader before the court on October 13.
