The Supreme Court yesterday upheld death sentences of three outlaws for killing Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) president Kazi Aref Ahmed and four other leaders in Kushtia 12 years ago.
A seven-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Justice Md Muzammel Hossain also upheld a portion of the High Court verdict that acquitted 10 others of the charges.
The apex court passed the orders after hearing appeals filed by the government and the accused against the HC verdict.
The HC in 2008 upheld the death sentences handed down by a trial court to nine accused and acquitted 12 others, who were given life term imprisonment by the trial court.
Earlier in 2004, Additional Sessions Judge of Kushtia Md Fazlur Rahman gave 10 accused capital punishment and jailed another 11 for life.
Kazi Aref, a Liberation War organiser, along with the four Kushtia unit JSD leaders was killed at a rally in Kalidaspur village in Daulatpur upazila on February 16, 1999.
The convicts sprayed him with bullets as he was about to leave the rostrum after delivering a speech against political violence.
The four other leaders -- Kushtia district unit JSD president Lokman Hossain, general secretary Yakub Ali and activists Israil Hossain and Shamser Mandal -- died as they tried to save the valiant freedom fighter.
Police filed a murder case with Daulatpur Police Station the same day.
The accused whose punishment was upheld by the SC are Ilias Hossain alias Elas of Talbaria, Rashedul Islam Jhantu and Anwar Hossain of Kursha in Kushtia.
The 10 accused cleared of the charges are Gares Sarder, Tasir Uddin, Asgar Jomaddar, Nazrul Islam, Waliur Rahman, Ekubbar, Tikka alias Jobbar, Lavlu, Firoz alias Foro and Laltu alias Nuruzzaman.
The SC will pass order today on the appeals of Sahir Uddin and Rafat alias Rafa, who got life term imprisonment from the HC. Sahir got death sentence and Rafa got life term imprisonment from the lower court.
Mannan, Baker, Raushan, Jahan, Jalal and Habib, who were given death sentence by the trial court, are still on the run.
Advocates Khandker Mahbub Hossain and Nawab Ali appeared for the accused, while Additional Attorney General Momtazuddin Fakir represented the government.
Source : The Daily Star
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