All accused including Tarique Rahman acquitted
The High Court has acquitted all the accused, including BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman, in the grenade attack case at the Awami League rally on August 21. The High Court bench of Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayet Hossain announced the verdict on Sunday, rejecting the death reference against the trial court’s verdict and allowing the appeals of the accused.
In its observation of the verdict, the court said that the supplementary charge sheet on which the trial of the case began, based on the statement of Mufti Abdul Hannan, was illegal. The trial court’s verdict in the cases is illegal because it was given in an illegal manner. Incidentally, in this case, the trial court sentenced 19 people to death, 19 people including Tarique Rahman to life imprisonment, and 11 police and army officers to various terms of imprisonment.
After the High Court’s verdict, the defendant’s lawyer Zainul Abdin said that the main issue here started with the permission for the public meeting. The government had given permission for the public meeting in a nearby field. At a later stage, without informing the government, the then opposition leader (Sheikh Hasina) changed the place and brought it to this road. It was intentional. She did this to embarrass the government party. That is why we believe that the grenade attack was politically motivated. He said, Tarique Rahman’s name was not anywhere in the first, second, and third charge sheets. Subsequently, Tarique Rahman was implicated in this case through Abdul Kahar Akand. Arrangements were made to convict him in this case by implicating him.
Zainul Abdin said, the court has analyzed all the evidence. It has seen that the evidence, the charge sheet in which they have been sentenced, even the death sentence, cannot be sustained. If there is no direct evidence, no one can be sentenced to death, nor can they be sentenced to life imprisonment. He said, after analyzing all aspects, the court felt that everyone who appealed in this case and those who could not appeal should be acquitted. The Awami League government has been using the case for political reasons throughout the year. They wanted to keep Tarique Rahman out of the case forever by filing a case and even wanted to give him the death penalty. But the court did not find any evidence to give Tarique Rahman the death penalty. Today (yesterday) everyone was acquitted through this verdict of the High Court.
Senior lawyer SM Shahjahan heard on behalf of several accused including Lutfuzzaman Babar and Abdus Salam Pintu in the court. After the verdict, he told reporters that they are grateful to the High Court. They have received justice. They applauded this verdict. The case has not been proven in any aspect, evidence or law.
After the verdict, the lawyer of the three accused, Mohammad Shishir, said that 49 people were sentenced in the verdict of the trial court. 19 people were sentenced to death, 19 to life imprisonment and the remaining 11 to various terms of imprisonment. The High Court has granted all appeals. The rule has been declared appropriate. All have been acquitted from the case.
Shishir Monir said that the previous trial of the trial court has been declared illegal by the High Court verdict. The trial of the trial court was not based on the law. The statements of one witness and another do not match. The verdict has been given based on the witnesses heard. The High Court has granted the appeal and dismissed the death reference and acquitted all of them.
Shishir Monir further said that the High Court has acquitted everyone including Tarique Rahman and Babar from this case. In such cases, there is no evidence that anyone saw each other with their own eyes. The confessional statements of those who were taken were taken through torture. Mufti Hannan gave two statements. There is no precedent for sentencing based on the second confession. He withdrew this confession. Therefore, it has no legal value. The second charge sheet was submitted to the sessions court. The sessions court took it into consideration. According to the law, it (the sessions court) cannot do this. Therefore, the High Court has called the sentence given on the basis of taking this charge into consideration illegal.
When asked whether an appeal will be filed against the High Court verdict, Attorney General Md. Asaduzzaman said, a decision will be taken after looking at the reasons for the verdict and taking instructions. I think an appeal should be filed.
On August 21, 2004, two cases were filed at Motijheel Police Station under the Murder and Explosives Acts in connection with the grenade attack. It was alleged that the then BNP-Jamaat coalition government took various steps to take the investigation of the attack and massacre into different sectors. In 2007, the caretaker government started a new investigation into the two cases (murder and explosives). In 2008, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the police filed a charge sheet accusing 22 people. It said that the militants carried out the attack to kill Sheikh Hasina and leave the Awami League leaderless. Later, during the Awami League government, a further investigation into the case was carried out. After that, a supplementary charge sheet was filed accusing 30 people, including Tarique Rahman.
Tarique Rahman wants to return home after overcoming all legal hurdles. This is what BNP leaders were saying. Tarique’s acquittal in one case after another is apparently bringing Tarique’s return home forward. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said that when his party’s chairperson Khaleda Zia goes abroad for medical treatment, acting chairman Tarique will return home.
BNP Legal Affairs Secretary Kaiser Kamal said that the trial was continued to raise questions in the international arena. Tarique Rahman has received justice through today’s verdict.
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