August 21 grenade attack: State’s leave to appeal hearing tomorrow
The state’s leave to appeal hearing against the verdict acquitting all the accused in the August 21 grenade attack case is tomorrow. A 5-judge bench headed by Justice Ashfaqul Islam fixed the hearing for today on Monday (May 26) morning.
Earlier, the High Court acquitted all the accused, including BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman, in the case of murder and explosives act in the grenade attack case on December 1. Later, on March 19, the state appealed against the acquittal of all the accused in the case. The lawyers for the defendants hope that the High Court’s order will be upheld in the Appellate Division as well.
Incidentally, on August 21, 2004, a grenade attack took place at a rally of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Bangabandhu Avenue. 24 Awami League leaders and activists were killed in that incident. After the discussed incident, two cases were filed under the murder and explosives act.
The trial court delivered its verdict in both cases in 2018. In addition to the death penalty, 19 people, including former State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfuzzaman Babar and former Deputy Minister for Education Abdus Salam Pintu, were sentenced to life imprisonment for 19 people, including BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, and 11 others were sentenced to varying terms of imprisonment and fines.
