A special tribunal in Thakurgaon on Sunday delivered its verdict in a widely discussed child rape case filed nearly 15 years ago, sentencing three convicts to life imprisonment until death and three others to rigorous life imprisonment.
Thakurgaon District and Sessions Judge and Children Violence Suppression Tribunal Judge Ali Mansur delivered the verdict.
Under Section 9(3) of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act, 2000, the court sentenced the three principal convicts, Md Anis Rana, Md Saiful Islam and Md Dulal, to life imprisonment until death and fined each Tk 2 lakh. The court ruled that they would not be eligible for any remission or sentence reduction under Section 35A of the Code of Criminal Procedure or the Jail Code.
The tribunal also sentenced three other convicts, Md Anisur, Md Khatibur Khatu and Md Lalu, to rigorous life imprisonment under Sections 9(3)/30 of the same law. Each was fined Tk 1 lakh, with an additional one-year rigorous imprisonment in default of payment.
The court further ordered that the fines recovered from the convicts be paid to the victim as compensation. It also directed the Deputy Commissioner to recover the amount, if necessary, by auctioning the convicts' movable and immovable properties.
According to the prosecution, a 14-year-old girl was abducted and gang-raped in South Salandar of Thakurgaon Sadar upazila on October 21, 2011. The victim's father filed a case with Thakurgaon Sadar Police Station four days later. Following a prolonged judicial process, the tribunal delivered its verdict nearly 15 years after the incident.
Three Get Life Until Death, Three Others Life Terms in 15-Year-Old Child Rape Case in Thakurgaon
Five of the six convicts were present in court when the verdict was announced. However, Md Anis Rana, one of those sentenced to imprisonment until death, remains absconding. The court issued both a conviction warrant and an arrest warrant against him.
Expressing satisfaction with the verdict, Public Prosecutor Md Badiuzzaman Chowdhury Badal said the judgment was fair and that it had ensured justice for the victim.
