Death sentence: Jamaat leader Azhar's appeal hearing deferred again to 6 May
The court said the appeal would be at the top of the cause list that day
The full bench of the Appellate Division will hear on 6 May the appeal filed by Jamaat leader ATM Azharul Islam against his death sentence in a case filed over 1971 war crimes.
A four-member Appellate Division bench led by Chief Justice Syed Refat Ahmed issued the order today (22 April).
The court said the appeal would be at the top of the day's cause list.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
Yesterday (21 April), Azharul's lawyer filed a petition to set a date for hearing the appeal. Today, the appeal appeared as item 28 on the court's cause list.
Senior lawyer Ehsan A Siddiq and lawyer Mohammad Shishir Monir represented Azharul in court.
Additional Attorney General Anik R Haque represented the state.
On 26 February, the Appellate Division, led by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, granted leave to appeal against the death sentence.
The appeal concerns a case in which ATM Azharul Islam, former assistant secretary general of Jamaat-e-Islami, was convicted of crimes committed during the 1971 Liberation War in the Rangpur region.
ATM Azhar was found guilty of six categories of crimes against humanity, including genocide, murder, abduction, rape, torture, and arson.
On 30 December 2014, the International Crimes Tribunal sentenced him to death on charges 2, 3, and 4.
He was also given 25 years' imprisonment on charge 5 for abduction, torture, and rape and five years on charge 6 for torture.
After hearing his appeal, the Appellate Division upheld the death sentence on 31 October 2019. A four-member bench led by then Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain delivered the judgment.
The court upheld the sentences on charges 2, 3, 4 (based on majority opinion), and six and acquitted him of charge 5.
On that day, late senior lawyer Khandaker Mahbub Hossain represented the defence, while late Attorney General Mahbubey Alam represented the prosecution.
The full text of the Appellate Division's judgment was released on 15 March 2020. ATM Azharul Islam filed a review petition on 19 July 2020, raising 14 grounds across 23 pages.
Following the hearing of that petition, the Appellate Division on 26 February granted leave to appeal and instructed that a summary of the appeal be submitted within two weeks. The appeal has since been prepared and was heard today.
