The Supreme Court has granted permission for Jamaat-e-Islami leader ATM Azharul Islam to appeal against his death sentence in a case related to crimes against humanity.
A five-member appellate bench, led by the chief justice, issued the order on Wednesday.
The hearing is scheduled for April 22.
Barrister Ehsan Abdullah Siddiqui represented Azhar, assisted by senior lawyers SM Shahjahan, Advocate Mohammad Shishir Manir and Barrister Najib Momen.
Earlier, the first day's hearing of Azhar’s review petition against the death sentence concluded on Tuesday.
Before that, on February 23, the Appellate Division set Tuesday for the review hearing of the case.
The hearing was scheduled by a bench led by Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam.
Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman presented the matter in court, with International Crimes Tribunal Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam and defence lawyer Shishir Manir in attendance.
The attorney general informed the court that Azhar's review petition had been on the cause list for February 20 but had not been heard.
He emphasized the necessity of a hearing, leading the court to set the new date.
Previously, on January 23, the Appellate Division had postponed the hearing to February 20. A four-member appellate bench led by Chief Justice Dr Syed Refaat Ahmed issued the order, deferring the hearing due to the absence of one judge.
On October 23, 2019, the Appellate Division upheld Azhar's death sentence for crimes against humanity.
The verdict was delivered by a bench led by the then-Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain.
Azhar later filed a review petition against the ruling.
On December 30, 2014, the International Crimes Tribunal sentenced Azhar to death.
He had been accused of six types of crimes against humanity, including the mass killing of 1,256 people in the Rangpur region, abduction of 17 individuals, rape, detention and torture of 13 people, and extensive looting and arson during the Liberation War.
The tribunal sentenced him to death on five out of six charges.
However, Jamaat-e-Islami has consistently denounced the verdict as politically motivated
On January 28, 2015, Azhar’s defence filed an appeal seeking his acquittal, arguing 113 points in his favour.
The appeal included a 90-page main petition along with 2,340 pages of supporting documents.
