The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing for May 6 on the appeal filed by Jamaat-e-Islami leader ATM Azharul Islam against the verdict of capital punishment handed down in a case involving crimes against humanity.
The decision was made on Tuesday by a four-member bench of the Appellate Division, headed by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed.
The court noted that the appeal would be placed at the top of the cause list on the scheduled date.
Earlier, on Monday, Azharul Islam's legal counsel submitted a petition requesting a hearing date for the appeal.
Senior Advocate Ehsan A Siddiq and Advocate Mohammad Shishir Monir appeared for the appellant, while Additional Attorney General Aneek R Haque represented the state.
On February 26, the Appellate Division granted leave to appeal against the 2019 verdict that upheld the death sentence for Azharul Islam.
The court also directed the submission of a concise statement of the appeal within two weeks, which was subsequently filed.
Based on that, the defence again petitioned for a hearing date, leading to Tuesday's order.
The Appellate Division had earlier upheld the International Crimes Tribunal’s verdict of the death penalty for Azharul Islam on October 31, 2019.
The full judgment was released on March 15, 2020.
Following the publication of the full verdict, Azharul Islam filed a review petition with the Appellate Division on July 19, 2020.
The review hearing concluded with the court granting leave to appeal on February 26.
As a result, the hearing on the appeal is now set to begin on May 6.
Azharul Islam remains in custody.
