HC to hear appeals, death references on Jan 3

The High Court on Tuesday fixed January 3 for hearing the death references and appeals in the sensational 10-truck arms haul cases.

The HC bench of Justice Shahidul Karim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman passed the order.

Deputy Attorney General Bashir Ahmed and Assistant attorney general Nirmal Kumar Das represented the state.

Earlier, on July 20, the court fixed October 18 for hearing the appeals and death references.

On April 1, 2004, ten trucks of arms were seized at the Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Ltd jetty.

Two cases — one under the Arms Act and another under the Special Powers Act —were filed with Karnaphuli Police Station the following day.

Fifty people were made accused in the arms case and another 52 in the other case.

On January 30, 2014, Chattogram Metropolitan Sessions Judge SM Mujibur Rahman sentenced 14 people to death in the case filed under the Special Powers Act.

The court also sentenced them life term imprisonment and seven years imprisonment each under two sections of the arms case.

Fourteen people, including former Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami, former state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar, Indian separatist outfit United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) chief Paresh Barua, former DGFI director Maj Gen (retd) Rezzakul Haider Chowdhury and former National Security Intelligence director general Abdur Rahim, were sentenced to death in the case filed under the Special Powers Act for smuggling.

On February 4, the court published the full text of the judgment in the two cases.

Of the death row convicts, former Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami was executed in 2016 on charge of crimes against humanity.