Why Zia’s military court verdicts not illegal: HC

The High Court on Tuesday issued a ruling, asking why the military court verdicts during the regime of BNP founder and former president Ziaur Rahman are not illegal.

The division bench of Justice KM Kamrul Quader and Justice Mohammad Ali also asked the authorities to explain why the military court convicts will not be declared patriots and why their families will not be provided with adequate compensation.

The court also asked why the children of convicts won't be given government jobs according to their qualifications, Deputy Attorney General Abdullah Al Mahmoud told journalists.

On 28 April 2019, a writ petition was filed with the High Court, seeking compensation for the penalty in the military court in the case of a mutiny of the air force during the regime of the late Ziaur Rahman.

The writ sought directions to grant pay, other benefits, and pension to the convicts of the 2 October 1977 military court verdict till their normal retirement from service.

Supreme Court lawyer Matiur Rahman filed the writ petition on behalf of 88 people including 14 officers of Air Force who were sentenced to death and the children of Army and Air Force officers who were sentenced to death in that military court.

The defence secretary, home secretary, and air force chief were made respondents to the rule.

Ziaur Rahman seized power in 1976 as the chief martial law administrator and the following year he also took over the post of president.

After his seizure of power, there were several attempted coups in the military, in which those involved were tried in military courts and sentenced to death.