SC upholds life sentence of Titu in Indian national murder trial

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court (SC) has upheld the life sentence of Yasir Rahman Titu, the accused in a case lodged over the murder of Indian national Gibran Tayebi in Chattogram.

A seven-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique pronounced the judgment after hearing a review petition today (10 August). 

On 1 August 2012, Titu's life sentence was upheld by a majority of the Appellate Division in the Gibran Tayebi murder case. 

Titu filed a review petition seeking reconsideration of the judgment. The court dismissed it and upheld the earlier verdict. 

As a result, Titu, son of  Khalilur Rahman, chairman of Chittagong-based KDS Group and president of Chittagong Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and  Industry, will have to serve life imprisonment.

Lawyer Munsurul Haque Chowdhury represented Titu and Deputy Attorney General Sujit Chatterjee Bappi and Sarwar Hossain Bappi represented the state.

According to the case documents, Gibran Tayebi, son of TA Khan, a former director general of West Bengal Police, was killed on 9 June 1999 in front of a Chinese restaurant at Agrabad in Chattogram.

Tayebi's colleague James Roy filed a murder case with Double Mooring Police Station the next day.

Gibran was the then Principal Representative of the private shipping company Chittagong Central Maritime (BD) Limited till his death. He was living in Chattogram with his wife Titli Nandini due to his job. 

Police filed charges-sheet against eight on 22 November 1999. The accused are- Yasir Rahman Titu, Md Osman Ali, Ali Akbar alias Didarul Alam, Zillur Rahman, Jahid Hossain, Md Siddique, Omar Ali alias Jahangir and Alamgir.

Chattogram Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court on 12 April 2002, convicted and sentenced five to life imprisonment, acquitting Titu, Omar Ali and Alamgir. 

The state later appealed against the judgment and the High Court on 28 March 2007, sentenced Titu, Omar Ali, and Alamgir to life imprisonment.

Titu on 10 October 2011, surrendered before a Chattogram court and filed an appeal against his conviction on 17 October. 

As the Appellate Division upheld the High Court judgment on 1 August 2012, Titu filed the plea seeking review of the apex court judgment.