Trial on Sagira Morshed murder case resumes after 28 years as High Court lifts freeze

The High Court has lifted the stay order on the murder case of Sagira Morshed Salam who was killed while being mugged in front of Viqarunnisa Noon School almost three decades ago.

Staff CorrespondentStaff correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 26 June 2019, 03:53 PM
Updated : 26 June 2019, 03:53 PM

The bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman gave the ruling scrapping the appeal against the order to further investigate the case of 28 years ago.

The court ordered the Police Bureau of Investigation or PBI to complete further investigations within 60 days and dispose of the case within 90 days from the date of its receipt.

Lawyers Yusuf Hossain Humayun and Motahar Hossain appeared for the petitioner and Deputy Attorney General Farhad Ahmed represented the state in the court.

On Jul 25, 1989, Sagira Morshed Salam was going to pick her daughter from Viqarunnisa Noon School. A gang of muggers tried to snatch her gold bangles and then shot her as she tried to run away. She died on her way to the hospital.

Sagira’s husband Salam Chowdhury started a case against some unidentified persons on the same day. The rickshaw-puller identified two persons involved in the incident but detective police submitted chargesheet against a man named Mintu alias Montu alias Maran.

Dhaka Additional Session Judge Abu Bakar Siddique ordered police to charge Montu on Jan 17, 1991. Seven witnesses testified in the case.

During the investigation, Montu and the then home minister’s extended family member Maruf Reza were arrested, but Maruf’s name was dropped from the chargesheet, the plaintiff had complained.

Then the trial court on May 23, 1991 directed police to further investigate the murder case.

The High Court issued a six-month stay order on further inquiry and trial proceedings on the case on Jul 2, 1991 following a revision petition filed by Maruf Reza. It also issued a rule asking why the order of further investigation will not be dismissed.

On Aug 27, 1992, the court issued another stay order on trial proceedings until the issuance of an order on the previous rule.

The state moved to get the stay order lifted as the new investigation officer drew the attention of the attorney general’s office to the case. The issue was the presented before the court.

The court scrapped the stay order on the trial proceeding on Wednesday following a hearing.