The High Court has upheld the death sentences of 10 convicts in the case of the attempted assassination of Sheikh Hasina at Kotalipara in Gopalganj in 2000.
The virtual bench of Justice Jahangir Hossain Selim and Justice Md Badruzzaman High on Wednesday delivered the verdict on the death reference of the convicts and their appeals.
The convicts who were sentenced to death in the lower court are Washim Akhtar alias Tareq Hossain, Md Rashed alias Abul Kalam, Md Yusuf alias Abu Musa Harun, Sheikh Farid alias Maulana Shawkat Osman, Hafez Jahangir Alam Badr, Maulana Abu Bakkar, Hafez Maulana Yahya, Mufti Shafiqur Rahman, Mufti Abdul Hai and Maulana Abdur Rauf alias Abu Omar.
In addition to the death sentence of 10 accused, the court also sentenced accused Mehdi Hasan alias Abdul Wadud to life imprisonment and a fine of Tk10,000. The accused Anisul alias Anis, Md Mahibullah alias Mofizur Rahman and Sarwar Hossain Mia were sentenced to 14 years rigorous imprisonment and one more year for non-payment of Tk10,000.
Another accused Sarwar Hossain Mia was acquitted by the High Court.
At that time, Attorney General AM Amin Uddin and Deputy Attorney General Dr Md Bashir Ullah represented the state. On the other hand, lawyers Md Nasir Uddin and Mohammad Ahsan represented the accused.
On September 16, 2020, the High Court started its hearing on the matter.
On August 20, 2017, Dhaka 2nd Speedy Trial Tribunal sentenced 10 people to death in the case, as Judge Mamtaz in her order said the convicts can be executed either by hanging or by shooting, with permission from the High Court.
The lower court had examined 68 witnesses out of a total of 83.
According to the case documents, army men recovered a 76kg powerful bomb on July 22, 2000, from the premises of Sheikh Lutfor Rahman Government Ideal College when a podium was being made for the prime minister's rally.
Another powerful bomb was recovered in the area the very next day. The then Kotalipara police station sub-inspector Nur Hossain filed a case in this regard on that day.
Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Assistant Superintendent of police Munshi Atikur Rahman on April 8, 2001, filed a charge sheet against Harkat ul-Jihad al-Islami (HuJI) chief Mufti Abdul Hannan and others.
Later the case was transferred to the Dhaka court.
Mufti Hannan has already been executed on April 12, 2017, for a grenade attack at Hazrat Shahjalal (RA) shrine in Sylhet in 2004. So, his name was dropped from the prime minister's murder attempt case.
