Verdict on Gazipur bomb attack appeal on July 28

The High Court today fixed July 28 for delivering verdict on the death reference and appeals in a case filed over a suicide bomb attack inside the Gazipur Bar Association office in 2005 that killed nine people and injured scores of others.

The bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice JBM Hassan set the date after concluding hearing arguments from the counsels concerned on the death reference and appeals.

On November 29, 2005, suicide bomber Md Nazir Hossain, also known as Shariat Ullah of Gaibandha, walked into the office on the ground floor of the Hall Building-2 at the Bhawal Rajbari court and detonated the bomb strapped to his body. The bombing was apparently a part of banned militant outfit Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh's attack on the judiciary.

On June 20, 2013, a Dhaka court sentenced 10 members of JMB to death for carrying out the suicide attack.

The death reference of the case reached the HC in seven days. The convicts in the same year filed 10 separate appeals with the HC.

During the hearing today, Deputy Attorney General Shaikh AKM Moniruzzaman Kabir told the HC that the allegations brought against the convicts have been proved beyond reasonable doubt and their convictions and death sentences should be confirmed.

Meanwhile, defence lawyers prayed to the HC to commute death sentences of the convicts to life imprisonment saying that they are repented for their offences.

The convicts are Enayet Ullah alias Walid, Arifur Rahman, Moshidul Islam alias Masud, Saidur Munshi, Abdullah Al Sohaien, Nizam Uddin Reza, Taibur Rahman alias Hassan, Ashraful Islam, Md Shafiullah alias Tarek and Adnan Sami alias Jahangir.

All the convicts are in jail, DAG Moniruzzaman told The Daily Star.