SC declares war crimes convict Alim's appeal trial defunct

The Supreme Court has declared the appeal proceedings of war crime convict Abdul Alim as defunct.

A five-member Appellate Division bench headed by Chief Justice Md Muzammel Hossain gave the order on Tuesday. It was included in the day's cause list.

"A criminal trial cannot go one after one's death. That's why the court declared it defunct," Attorney General Mahbubey Alam told reporters after the hearing.

On Oct 9 last year, the International Crimes Tribunal had sentenced him for life after finding him guilty of crimes like murder, genocide, and loot in Joypurhat during the 1971 Liberation War.

In its verdict the tribunal said the former BNP minister deserved death for the ‘utterly heinous’ crimes he had committed but he was being given the life sentence considering his age and disability.

He was kept in the prison ward of Bangabandhu Skeikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) since then until he died on Aug 30.

Defence counsels had filed an appeal with the Supreme Court against the verdict but it was declared invalid on Tuesday.

Alim had been arrested from his Joypurhat residence on Mar 27, 2011.

His trial at the war crimes tribunal began on July 9, 2012.

Alim was born on Nov 1, 1930 in Joypurhat. His father Abdul Wahed owned Islamia Rice Mill on Thana Road. His family migrated to Joypurhat from Hooghly in West Bengal in 1950-51.

He did his post-graduation in law to pursue a lawyer's career. In 1958, he joined the Muslim League and rose through the ranks in four years to become the party's organising secretary.

He was the vice-chairman of the Bogra district council and an influential leader of the Convention Muslim League during the final stages of the War of Independence.

Alim was the chairman of the Joypurhat ‘Shanti (Peace) Committee’ formed to assist the Pakistani army. He was directly involved in raising the Razakar Bahini there and in crimes against humanity during the war.

He was accused under the Collaborators Act brought by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman after Bangladesh’s liberation from Pakistan.

He was elected chairman of the Joypurhat Municipality in 1975 and 1977, and had won the parliamentary election in 1979, 1996 and 2001 on BNP ticket.

Mainly known as a Razakar leader, Alim served military strongman and BNP founder General Ziaur Rahman's Cabinet first as the textiles minister and then as communications minister in 1978.