Proceedings to begin the appeal hearing in the war crimes convict Mohammad Kamaruzzaman case could not be held Wednesday due to the 48-hour hartal called by Jamaat-e-Islami.
Earlier, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court fixed Wednesday for filing concise statement (facts of the case and the arguments relied upon) of the defence.
Shishir Manir, a key defence counsel, said they could not prepare the documents due to the long 45-day vacation of the Supreme Court.
According to the Appellate Division Rules, 1988, the appellant party could not start their appeal hearing until they file the concise statement.
The International Crimes Tribunal 2 on May 9 handed down death penalty for Kamaruzzaman. On June 6, the Jamaat leader appealed against the verdict.
The defence earlier filed an application seeking two weeks time to submit the statement.
However, the five-member Appellate Division bench headed by Chief Justice Md Muzammel Hossain on Wednesday did not pass any order regarding the petition as the defence counsels including Abdur Razzaq, also Jamaat’s assistant secretary general, remained absent.
Shishir said the counsels of the convict, who is also Jamaat’s senior assistant secretary general, had not come to the court due to hartal.
“The defence led by Razzaq said they had respect to the court and declared to file a review petition against the appeals verdict of Abdul Quader Molla. But at the same time, the party reacted with violence [during hartal]. What a mockery!” prosecutor Tureen Afroz, one of the key counsels of the government side, told the Dhaka Tribune Wednesday.
She claimed that enforcing a shutdown against the verdict of the top court was “highly contemptuous.” She alleged that the defence wanted to delay the cases.
At the tribunal, Tureen had played an important role during arguments in the case against Kamaruzzaman for his superior responsibility which was a key factor for his getting death penalty.
The prosecutor said Jamaat, which had actively opposed the independence of Bangladesh, earlier observed violence several times in the name of shutdown only to frustrate the war crimes trial.
She wondered why Jamaat had gone to the court if they did not obey the court judgements.
