On Tuesday (15 July), a five-member bench of the Appellate Division, headed by Chief Justice Dr. Syed Refat Ahmed, passed the order.
Earlier, on 12 January this year, the High Court acquitted all the accused, including Tarique Rahman and Lutfozzaman Babar, by overturning the verdicts of the lower court. The verdict was delivered by Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayetur Rahim, who stated that the entire trial process of the grenade attack case was unlawful and lacked a legal basis. They also ruled that the chargesheet accepted by the trial court was legally inadmissible. Following this judgment, the state filed an appeal challenging the acquittals.
During Tuesday’s court session, senior lawyers representing BNP included Barrister Jamir Uddin Sircar, Zainul Abedin, Barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokon, Barrister Kaiser Kamal, Barrister Ruhul Quddus Kajol, Advocate Gazi Kamrul Islam Sajal, Advocate Aminul Islam, Advocate Maksud Ullah, Advocate Zakir Hossain, Advocate Anisur Rahman Rayhan Bishwas, Advocate Shamsul Islam Mukul, and others. The state was represented by Attorney General Mohammad Asaduzzaman.
On 10 October 2018, the trial court had delivered its verdict in the grenade attack and murder case. The court sentenced 19 individuals, including former state minister Lutfozzaman Babar and former deputy minister Abdus Salam Pintu, to death. Another 19 people, including BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, former political secretary to Khaleda Zia Haris Chowdhury, and BNP leader Kazi Shah Mofazzal Hossain Kaikobad, were sentenced to life imprisonment.
Those sentenced to death included Babar, Pintu, retired Major General Rezzakul Haider Chowdhury, retired Brigadier General Abdur Rahim, transport owner Md. Hanif, militant leader Maulana Tajuddin, Maulana Sheikh Abdus Salam, Maulana Sheikh Farid, Maulana Abu Said, Mufti Muinuddin Sheikh (alias Abu Jandal), Hafiz Abu Taher, Md. Yusuf Bhatt (alias Majed Bhatt), Abdul Malek, Mofizur Rahman (alias Mohibullah), Abul Kalam Azad (alias Bulbul), Md. Jahangir Alam, Hossain Ahmed Tamim, Rafiqul Islam (alias Sabuj), and Md. Uzzal (alias Raton).
The 19 sentenced to life imprisonment included Shahadat Ullah (alias Jewel), Maulana Abdur Rouf (alias Abu Omar), Abu Homaira (alias Pir Shaheb), Maulana Sabbir Ahmed (alias Abdul Hannan Sabbir), Arif Hasan (alias Sujon/Abdur Razzak), Hafiz Maulana Yahia, Abu Bakar (alias Selim Hawlader), Md. Ariful Islam (alias Arif), Mohibul Mottakin, Anisul Morsalin, Md. Khalil, Jahangir Alam Badr (alias Ustad Jahangir), Md. Iqbal, Liton (alias Maulana Liton), Tarique Rahman (alias Tarique Zia), Haris Chowdhury, Kazi Shah Mofazzal Hossain Kaikobad, Mufti Shafiqul Rahman, Mufti Abdul Hai, and Ratul Ahmed Babu (alias Babu or Ratul Babu).
On the afternoon of 21 August 2004, a horrific grenade attack was carried out on an Awami League rally on Bangabandhu Avenue in Dhaka. The attack killed 24 people, including Ivy Rahman, then Women Affairs Secretary of the party. Hundreds of leaders and activists, including Sheikh Hasina, were injured—many of whom still live with grenade splinters in their bodies, while others have been permanently disabled.
