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Published : 21 Aug 2025, 04:28 PM
The fate of all those acquitted in the August 21 grenade attack case, including BNP leader Tarique Rahman, is set to be decided on Sept 4.
After the fifth day of hearings on the state’s appeal against the High Court verdict, a six-judge Appellate Division bench led by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed fixed the date for a ruling on Thursday.
Deputy Attorney General Abdullah Al Mahmud argued for the state, assisted by Abu Sadat Md Sayem Bhuiyan and Sadia Afrin.
Senior lawyer SM Shahjahan and advocate Mohammad Shishir Manir represented the accused.
The state urged the court to uphold the sentences handed down by the trial court, while the accused sought dismissal of the appeal and preservation of the High Court’s acquittal.
The appeal hearings began on Jul 17 and continued on Jul 31, Aug 19, and Aug 20, before concluding on Thursday.
On Dec 1, the High Court acquitted all the accused, including Tarique and former state minister for home affairs Lutfozzaman Babar, in the high-profile case stemming from the grenade attack on an Awami League rally at Bangabandhu Avenue in Dhaka 21 years ago.
The bench of Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayet Hossain issued the ruling after hearing appeals and reviewing death references in the case.
The trial court had sentenced 19 people, including Babar, to death, 19 others, including Tarique, to life imprisonment, and 11 police and army personnel to varying prison terms.
The High Court granted the appeals of the accused, dismissed the death references, and acquitted all, regardless of whether they had appealed.
The Dec 1 verdict drew a sharp reaction, with many on social media expressing shock that all suspects were acquitted.
Families of the 24 people killed in the attack questioned whether justice would ever be served.
The full 79-page judgment, published on Dec 19 on the Supreme Court’s website, described the attack as a “heinous and tragic” chapter in Bangladesh’s history, noting the deaths of many, including senior Awami League leader Ivy Rahman.
“To ensure justice for the souls of the deceased, there needs to be a proper and independent investigation into this murder, which has been completely absent in this case so far,” the verdict read.
The court recommended that the case be referred to the Ministry of Home Affairs for a new investigation by a competent agency.
