Blogger Rajib murder: High Court to deliver appeal verdicts on Apr 2

The High Court has fixed Apr 2 for its verdict on the appeals filed by the convicts in the murder of blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 27 March 2017, 07:34 AM
Updated : 27 March 2017, 11:44 AM

On Feb 15 2013, blogger and Ganajagaran Mancha activist Ahmed Rajib Haider was hacked to death near his Mirpur residence at the capital.

The murder came within 10 days of the Ganajagaran Mancha's movement demanding the highest punishment to the war criminals.

Last year, a Dhaka court ordered death sentences for two, and various jail terms for six others, which included militant outfit Ansarullah Bangla Team chief Mufti Jashim Uddin Rahmani.

One of the death row convicts, Redwanul Azad Rana, who had been absconding until Feb 20 this year, did not appeal, while the others moved the High Court challenging the trial court's verdict.

On Monday, the bench of justices Jahangir Hossain and Md Jahangir Hossain fixed the date to announce the verdict in the murder.

On Jan 9, the court kept its verdict pending after concluding hearings of the death references and appeals.

Deputy Attorney General Jahirul Haque, who represented the State on Monday, said that the court also heard a criminal revision petition by the victim's father. "The hearings finished on Jan 9 and on Monday, the court fixed Apr 2 to give its decision."

Five of the seven convicted NSU students.

Mufti Jashim Uddin Rahmani.

In January 2014, the Detective Branch pressed charges on Ansarullah Bangla Team chief and seven North South University (NSU) students in the case filed by the slain blogger's father.

The trial began in March the same year after the court indicted the eight.

On Dec 31, 2016, a speedy trial tribunal found all of them guilty.

Former NSU student Redwanul Azad Rana and Faisal Bin Noim Deep got death sentences along with a fine of Tk 30,000.

Convict Hasan Anik received a life term along with a fine of Tk 10,000. An added year of imprisonment had also been ordered upon failure to pay the fine.

Jail terms of ten years each were awarded to Nayeem Irad and Nafij Imtiaj along with a fine of Tk 5000.

Convict Saddam Yasir Mahmud has got 3 years in jail while militant leader Mufti Rahmani got a 5-year prison term.

Police have found the Ansarullah Bangla Team responsible for the deaths of several other writers, bloggers and activists of the Ganajagaran Mancha.

The verdict on Rajib's murder is the first among these cases.

Rajib's father Dr Najim Uddin had expressed dissatisfaction over Rahmani's penalty and filed a criminal revision petition.   

The High Court heard the death references and appeals filed by the convicts.

Deputy Attorney General Haque said that one of the death row convicts Redwanul Azad Rana could not file an appeal as he was absconding.

Counter-terrorism unit arrested Rana on Feb 20 this year from Dhaka.