Both the victims and convicts of Ramna Batamul bomb blasts have been deprived of final justice due to legal tangles, even 22 years after the gruesome incident.
Different issues, including repeated adjournments and reconstitution of High Court benches, have unusually delayed disposal of the case filed for killing of 10 people in the blasts.
Besides, it is still uncertain when the appeals filed by the convicts and death reference, which have been pending with the HC for the last nine years, will be heard and a judgement will be delivered, as there is apparently no extensive initiative in this regard.
At the same time, another case filed under the explosives act is still pending with a Dhaka court. Its trial proceedings are ongoing there.
Contacted, Attorney General AM Amin Uddin told The Daily Star that the death reference and appeals are pending with the HC.
“Hearing of this case will be held only after the chief justice assigns a bench of the High Court for this. I don’t know when the chief justice will assign the bench. The attorney general’s office can do nothing to start hearing,” he added.
Two bombs exploded during the Pahela Baishakh (Bangla New Year, 1408) celebrations at Ramna Batamul, organised by Chhayanaut on April 14, 2001. Ten people were killed and dozens injured.
A Dhaka court on June 23, 2014 handed down death penalty to eight militants of Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (Huji), including its top leader Mufti Abdul Hannan, for the killing. Six other militants of the banned Islamist outfit were sentenced to life imprisonment.
If a lower court sentences any person to death, its judgement is examined by the HC through hearing arguments for confirmation of the death sentence.
The case documents and judgement reach as death references to the HC from the trial court after the latter delivers the verdict.
Mohammad Shishir Manir, a defence lawyer of the case, told this correspondent that the death reference has been registered with the HC in 2014.
“Till date, it has not been disposed of by the High Court. The government has sought adjournment of hearing repeatedly, as many as 376 times. Last time, the death reference was sent to the chief justice, and till date, no bench has been assigned for hearing the matter,” he said.
“Since there is no concrete evidence found in this case, the government is not interested to conduct hearings,” said Shishir Manir, adding that the convicts, who have been in jail, particularly in condemned cells, are being deprived of justice due to the long delay.
Attorney general’s office sources said the investigation of the case was conducted carelessly during the regime of then BNP-Jamaat led alliance government. Besides, the main accused Mufti Abdul Hannan has already been executed in connection with another criminal case.
There is no proper documents and evidence, other than confessional statements from one or two convicts, to prove the charges brought against the accused, and therefore, the state counsels are not all too serious about this case, said sources.
The accused who got capital punishment are Mufti Abdul Hannan Munshi, Moulana Akbar Hossain alias Helaluddin, Moulana Mohammad Tajuddin, Hafez Jahangir Alam Badar, Moulana Abu Bakar alias Selim Hawlader, Mufti Shafiqur Rahman, Mufti Abdul Hye, and Arif Hasan Suman.
The trial court gave life imprisonment to Moulana Abu Taher, Moulana Sabbir alias Abdul Hannan, Moulana Yahiya, Moulana Shawkat Osman alias Sheikh Farid, Moulana Abdur Rouf, and Shahadat Ullah alias Jewel.
Of the convicts, nine are reportedly in jail, while convicts Tajuddin, younger brother of BNP leader Abdus Salam Pintu; Hafez Jahangir; Moulana Abu Bakar; Mufti Shafiqur; and Mufti Hye are absconding.
Mufti Abdul Hannan, one of the country’s most notorious militants, involved in plotting and carrying out all the terror attacks by Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami Bangladesh, was executed on April 13, 2017 at Kashimpur High Security Prison.
Hannan was executed for carrying out a grenade attack on then British high commissioner Anwar Choudhury in Sylhet on May 21, 2004.