HC delivers 10 verdicts in women, child abuse cases
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High Court announced 10 verdicts in the last month following prioritized hearings of death references and appeals in cases filed under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act.
Chief Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury formed a special High Court bench on 10 June to specifically hear death reference approvals and appeals in women and child abuse cases due to several brutal incidents in the country.
A special team of state lawyers, led by Attorney General Md Ruhul Quddus Kazal, was formed to handle these cases.
The team includes Deputy Attorneys General Mohammad Imam Hossain Tareq and Syed Ejaj Kabir, as well as Assistant Attorneys General Mahbuba Tasnim Akhi, Mustafizur Rahman Mukul, Ashraful Alam, Rohani Siddika, and Al Amin Siddiki, reports BSS.
High Court division bench, comprised of Justice Bhishmadev Chakrabortty and Justice KM Rasheduzzaman Raja, listed 20 death references and appeal cases for hearing.
Over the past month, the bench delivered verdicts in 10 cases, including the rape and murder of schoolgirl Rima in Shariatpur, the Jhorna murder case in Pirojpur, and several cases involving the murder of wives.
Deputy Attorney General Tareq said, “A total of 10 cases have been ruled on from 14 June, our first working day on this bench, until 15 July. Announcing verdicts for so many death reference cases in just one month is certainly an example.”
He added, “Following the instructions of Attorney General Kajal, we from the state side did not submit any time petitions or adjournment applications during the hearings of these cases. At the same time, because the court was diligent in disposing of these cases, such rapid announcement of verdicts has been possible.”
Meanwhile, when the death reference for the rape and murder of 8-year-old Ramisa in Pallabi, Dhaka, appeared on the list on 16 June, the court ordered the appointment of state-appointed defense lawyers for the death-row convicts Sohel Rana and his wife Swapna Akter.
Moreover, the Nusrat murder case from Sonagazi, Feni, and the rape and murder case of 8-year-old Asiya from Magura are on the bench’s hearing list. Deputy Attorney General Tareq told BSS that these cases might be heard within the next two weeks.
It is noted that under Section 374 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, a death sentence handed down by a trial court requires High Court approval to be executed.
All case records, including the trial court’s judgment, are sent to the High Court as a death reference for this approval hearing. High Court announces its final verdict after hearing the death reference along with the convict’s appeal or jail appeal.
