7-Murder: HC verdict now Aug 22

The High Court has deferred its verdict on the death references and appeals in the sensational Narayanganj seven-murder cases until August 22.

The HC bench of Justice Bhabani Prasad Singh and Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam re-fixed the date on Sunday.

Earlier on July 26, the court fixed August 13 for its order after hearing the death references and appeals of the convicts in sensational murder cases.

Lawyer Mansurul Haque Chowdhury along with SM Shahjahan and Md Ahsan Ullah moved for the accused while Deputy Attorney General AKM Zahid Sarwar Kazal and Assistant Attorney General Bashir Ahmed represented the state in the court.

On January 16, Narayanganj District and Sessions Judge court sentenced 26 persons, including main accused Nur Hossain, dismissed RAB officials Lt Col Tareque Sayeed Mohammad, Maj Arif Hossain and Lt Commander SM Masud Rana, to death in the sensational seven-murder case.

The court also sentenced nine other accused to different terms in jail.

All the documents of the case were sent to the High Court on January 22. The High Court on February 8 received the appeals of the convicts.

Twenty convicts including Nur Hossain, Tareque Sayeed, Arif Hossain, SM Masud Rana, Emdadul Haque, Belal Hossain, Abu Taiyab, Shihab Uddin and Mortaza Zaman Charchil filed regular and jail appeals against their sentences.

After that, Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha ordered the department concerned of the High Court Division to prepare the paper book of the case on a priority basis.

On April 27, 2014, Narayanganj City Corporation councillor Nazrul Islam, his three associates Sirajul Islam Liton, Tajul Islam Rasel and Moniruzzaman Swapan, and Swapan’s driver, Jahangir, were kidnapped on Dhaka-Narayanganj Link Road.

Subsequently bodies of all seven of them were found floating in the Shitalakkhya river.

Two cases were filed in this connection - one by Nazrul’s family and the other by Chandan’s family.