The Supreme Court today upheld a High Court order that rejected three appeals seeking tougher punishment for all the accused who were acquitted and given imprisonment of various terms by the lower court in the BDR carnage case.

The apex court dismissed three leave to appeal petitions filed by the government challenging the HC order.

A three-member bench of the Appellate Division of the SC headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha passed the dismissal order after holding hearing on the petitions.

The government on April 2 filed three appeals with the HC seeking tougher punishment for a total of 608 people, who were either acquitted or given imprisonment in different terms by the lower court in BDR carnage case.

Among the 608 accused, 158 were sentenced to life imprisonment, 256 were given imprisonment for different periods and 194 were acquitted by the trial court in the case.

On April 13, the HC rejected three appeals, as those were filed long after the lower court had delivered the judgment.

The government recently filed three leave to appeal petitions with the SC against the HC’s April 13 order.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam moved the petitions before the apex court.

The HC on April 13 concluded hearing on the death reference and appeals in BDR carnage case, and kept them as CAV [Curia Advisari Vult, a Latin legal term that means the verdict could be delivered any time].

Seventy-four people, including 57 army officials, were massacred during the BDR mutiny on February 25-26 in 2009 at the Pilkhana headquarters of the paramilitary force, later renamed Border Guard Bangladesh.

The trial court gave death sentences to BDR 150 soldiers and to two civilians, and jailed 160 others for life for their roles and involvement in the carnage.  Two accused who were sentenced to life imprisonment have died.

It also handed down rigorous imprisonment to 256 people, mostly BDR soldiers. The court acquitted other accused.