The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has rejected the review petitions of two death-row convicts and one life-imprisoned convict in Rajshahi University (RU) Professor Dr S Taher Ahmed murder case.
A bench of eight SC judges led by Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique passed the order on Thursday morning.
As a result of the verdict, there is no bar to the execution of the two condemned convicts and they will also get a chance to seek mercy from the president, said Attorney General Abu Mohammad Amin Uddin.
The death-row convicts are Mia Mohammad Mohiuddin, Associate Professor of RU’s Geology and Mining department and Md Jahangir Alam, caretaker of Prof Taher’s residence.
The life-imprisoned convict who also filed a review petition is Abdus Salam.
Earlier on February 23, the Appellate Division set March 2 for pronouncing judgment on pleas to review its earlier verdict in the case.
The SC on September 14, 2022, published the 68-page verdict upholding the death sentence of two convicts.
Dr S Taher Ahmed, Professor of RU’s Department of Geology and Mining, was killed on February 1, 2006 and police recovered his body from a septic tank behind his residence on the university campus on February 3 in the same year. His son Sanjid Alvi Ahmed filed the case with Motihar Police Station on the same day.
Rajshahi Speedy Trial Tribunal on May 22, 2008, sentenced four accused to death and acquitted two others of the charges.
The High Court after holding hearing on the death reference and appeals of the convicts, pronounced its judgment on April 21, 2013. It confirmed the death sentence of Mohammad Mohiuddin and Jahangir Alam for their involvement in the gruesome murder.
The HC also commuted the death sentence of Jahangir’s brother Nazmul Alam and Abdus Salam to life imprisonment.
On February 22, 2022, the apex court started hearing on the appeals filed by the convicts challenging the HC verdict against them. The Appellate Division on April 5, 2022, upheld the High Court verdict.
After that, three of the convicts filed the plea, seeking review of the apex court’s judgment to save their necks.