High Court Set to Deliver Verdict in Bangladesh’s Aug 21 Grenade Attack Case

The verdict date for the appeal and death reference in the widely-discussed case regarding the August 21 grenade attack on an Awami League rally has been set for Sunday, following a hearing on November 21.  

The High Court bench, comprising Justices AKM Asaduzzaman and Syed Enayet Hossain, is scheduled to deliver the judgment. The case is listed as numbers 54 and 55 in the cause list on the Supreme Court website.  

On November 21, after concluding the arguments, the bench reserved the case for judgment. Deputy Attorney General Md Jasim Sarkar represented the prosecution, while senior lawyers SM Shahjahan and Shishir Monir defended the accused.  

Lawyer Shahjahan noted that while the verdict is expected soon, additional time might be required to thoroughly review documents and finalize the judgment.  

The August 21, 2004, grenade attack, which occurred during the BNP-Jamaat coalition government, targeted a rally on Bangabandhu Avenue led by Awami League President Sheikh Hasina. The attack killed 24 people and injured many others.  

Fourteen years later, on October 10, 2018, Judge Shahed Nuruddin of Dhaka's First Speedy Trial Tribunal delivered the initial verdict.  

Nineteen individuals, including Lutfozzaman Babar, a former state minister for home affairs, and Abdus Salam Pintu, a former deputy minister in Khaleda Zia's government, were sentenced to death. BNP leader Tarique Rahman received life imprisonment, and 11 security officials were handed varying prison terms.  

After the tribunal's verdict, the judgment and death reference documents were forwarded to the High Court on November 27, 2018, for mandatory scrutiny before execution of the death sentences.  

The High Court began its hearing on the death references, appeals, and jail petitions on December 5, 2022, following a lengthy preparation process involving over 37,000 pages of case materials, including statements, charge sheets, witness testimonies, and judgments.  

Tarique Rahman, the BNP's acting chairperson, residing in the UK, was declared a fugitive and, as a result, could not appeal the tribunal's decision.  

After the hearings resumed in December 2022, the High Court is now poised to deliver its much-anticipated verdict.

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