Execution of Mufti Hannan: Date to be fixed by jail authorities

The Supreme Court yesterday released its full verdict that upheld its order confirming the death penalties of three Huji militants, including its chief Mufti Abdul Hannan, for the 2004 grenade attack on then UK high commissioner to Bangladesh Anwar Chowdhury.

The release of the apex court verdict that dismissed the review petitions of the three death-row convicts has cleared the way for the jail authorities to start the process for executing them.

The jail authorities could execute their death sentences after 21 days and before 28 days from yesterday, under Provision 991 (VI) of the Jail Code, Helal Uddin Mollah, a defence lawyer, told The Daily Star.   

He said the jail authorities would now ask Mufti Hannan and two others Sharif Shahedul Alam Bipul and Delwar Hossain Ripon whether they would seek presidential clemency.

If they do not or if the president rejects their petitions, the jail authorities will execute them, the lawyer said.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam told this correspondent that the jail authorities would decide when they would execute the three Harkatul Jihad al Islami (Huji) leaders.

The jail authorities earlier started their execution process after receiving the SC's full verdict that had dismissed their appeals, he said, adding that the execution process was halted after the Huji leaders had filed review petitions.

Additional Registrar of the High Court Sabbir Faiz told The Daily Star that the SC authorities yesterday sent copies of its full verdict to the trial court in Sylhet and the jail authorities.

On March 19, a three-member bench of the Appellate Division of the SC headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha dismissed the petitions filed by Hannan, Bipul and Ripon seeking reviews of the SC's previous verdict upholding their death sentences.

In the verdict, the judges said, “The incident was so brutal that no one could harbour any doubt that the accused had not intended to kill the high commissioner. But incidentally he survived with grievous injury and other persons who accompanied him succumbed to injuries of explosions. While maintaining the conviction, this court was of the view that clause 'Fourthly' of section 300 of the Penal Code attracted in the case, that is to say, the accused committed the incident which was so imminently dangerous that it must in all probability may cause death. The learned counsel fails to point out any error of law in the judgment of this court. We find no merit in these petitions."

In 2004, then UK envoy Anwar Chowdhury, who was born in Bangladesh, and 70 others were injured in the attack at the shrine of Hazrat Shahjalal (RA) in Sylhet. Three people, including a police official, were killed.

On December 23, 2008, the Sylhet Divisional Speedy Trial Tribunal sentenced Mufti Hannan, Bipul and Ripon to death. Two other members of the banned militant outfit were sentenced to life in jail. They are Muhibullah alias Muhibur Rahman alias Ovi and Mufti Main Uddin alias Abu Zandal.

On February 11 last year, the HC confirmed the capital punishment for the three and upheld the life sentences of Ovi and Abu Zandal.

On December 7 last year, the SC upheld the death penalties of Hannan, Bipul and Ripon.

The trio filed petitions for reviews on February 23 this year.