A two-judge High Court bench on Sunday delivered a split verdict on the death sentences of 21members of banned outfit Jamaatul Mujahidin Bangladesh handed by a trial court on the charge of blasting bombs at Jhenidah on August 17,2005, as part of simultaneous bombings across the country.
In his verdict, Justice Syed Muhammad Ziaul Karim, the senior judge, acquitted all the 21 of the charges.
Justice Abdur Rab, in his verdict, however, commuted death sentence of 14 appellants and gave them to suffer life-terms instead and acquitted seven others of the charges.
The appeal now awaits disposal by another bench to be formed by the chief justice, deputy attorney general Abdul Mannan Mohon told reporters.
He also said that the senior judge acquitted all the 21 accused on the ground that there was no corroboration between the testimony of the prosecution witnesses and the evidence of the case.
He said that the second judge had commuted the sentences of the 14 considering their age, between 25 and 30.
He said that the judge acquitted seven of the charges because the trial court had framed the charges against them ignoring the investigation officer's recommendation to acquit them.
On February 28,2006, the Jhenidah district and session's judge Anisur Rahman Khan sentenced the 21 men to death by hanging.
According to the prosecution, they had carried out bomb attacks at six places in the district town including the premises of the district judge's court.
Russell, an 8-year old child, was injured in one of the blasts.
The 21 appellants are Tariqul Islam alias Rinku,
Monirul Islam alias Mokhlesur, Nasrullah alias Shanta alias Chanu, Rokonuzzaman alias Mithun, Abu Taleb Ansari alias Babul Ansari, Mohan, Mamunur Rashid alias Mamun, Muhid, Mozammel Haq alias Mozam, Tuhin Reza, Sabuj Ali alias Sabuj, Amirul, Faruk Hossain, Matin Mehedi alias Matinul Islam alias Mahabub Matin alias Mehedi Hasan alias Matinul Haq Mandal, Jahirul Al Mamun alias Chan, Billal Hossain, Sadruddin, Robjel Hossain alias Robjel, Azizur Rahman, Younus Ali and Azim Uddin.
Mohan, Tuhin Reza and Matin Mehedi were tried in absentia.
On March 30, 2007, six top militants including JMB supremo Abdur Rahman and his deputy Bangla Bhai were executed for killing two Jhalakathi judges after the Supreme Court had upheld their death sentence given by the trial court.
The executions possibly brought an end to the country's maiden overt militancy campaign of August 17,2005, which saw a series of coordinated blasts and suicide bombings in different parts of Bangladesh sending shock waves across the nation.
Source : New Age
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