Bagerhat court jails man for life over child rape in swift trial

In an unprecedented quick trial, a Bagerhat court has sentenced a man to life in prison for raping a child.

Bagerhat Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 19 Oct 2020, 07:35 AM
Updated : 19 Oct 2020, 08:25 AM

Bagerhat Prevention of Women and Child Oppression Tribunal Judge Md Nure Alam issued the verdict on Monday.

The convict, Abdul Mannan Sarder, was also slapped with a fine of Tk 20,000.

On Oct 12, charges were framed on the case of raping a seven-year-old child in the Asrayan Project in Mongla Upazila.

The court has announced the verdict in a week from the day of framing the charges. This is an unprecedented incident in the history of penal court in Bangladesh to complete a trial in such a short time, said the lawyers.

According to the Prevention of Oppression against Women and Children Act, the trial of a suspect in a rape case can be completed in 15 working days, said APP Ranojit Kumar Mondol. “The Bagerhat court has set an example by announcing the verdict in such a short notice,” he said.

The development comes when protests have spread across Bangladesh demanding swift trials and exemplary punishment of rapists.

Rocked by a string of incidents of sexual violence against women for which the protesters blame “a culture of impunity”, the government has introduced death penalty for rape.