Verdict on Mohiuddin and other Hizb ut-Tahrir leaders deferred for sixth time

The court has deferred the verdict in the anti-terror case against Hizb ut-Tahrir Chief Coordinator Mohiuddin Ahmed and five others for the sixth time.

Though the verdict was to be announced on Sunday, Anti-Terror Tribunal Judge Mujibur Rahman announced that the court was not ready to deliver it yet and deferred the decision until Jan 30.

The judge had previously deferred the verdict on Dec 20 because the court was not prepared to deliver the verdict. The court had missed similar dates on four other occasions.

In April 2010, police at Dhaka's Uttara filed a case accusing six leaders of the banned Islamist Hizb ut-Tahrir outfit of distributing leaflets furnishing false information.

The six accused in the case are Dhaka University Institute of Business Administration teacher Mohiuddin, MA Yousuf Khan, Saidur Rahman, Kazi Morshedul Haque, Tanvir Ahmmed and Touhidul Alam.

Police submitted the charge sheet in 2014, but the court forwarded the matter to the home ministry as cases under the Anti-terrorism Act need government's clearance.

On Jul 6, 2016 the ministry cleared the case and on Sept 6 of that year, the court took cognisance of the charges.

The government banned Hizb ut-Tahrir on Oct 22, 2009 for extremist activities against the state. Over 50 cases have been filed against party leaders and activists since.