Dhaka: The Supreme Court today granted a petition for leave to appeal against a High Court judgment that had acquitted individuals previously convicted by a lower court in connection with the murder and explosives substances act cases stemming from the grenade attack on an Awami League rally in the capital on August 21, 2004. The decision was made by a six-member Appellate Division bench led by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the High Court pronounced its verdict on December 1, 2024, overturning the lower court’s decision in the two cases after hearing death references, as well as criminal and jail appeals. The High Court bench of Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayet Hossain stated in their identical short judgments, “Death Reference is rejected, all appeals are allowed, all rules are absolute.”
Defence counsel Advocate Shishir Manir reported that the High Court observed the lower court’s trial as illegal, noting that it was not conducted in accordance with the law, as no eyewitnesses were examined. Instead, the testimony relied on individuals who had only heard about the incident. Advocate Manir added that the court found the judgment was based on a confessional statement by Mufti Abdul Hannan, which was deemed to have no evidential value due to being obtained by force.
The grenade attack on the Awami League rally on August 21, 2004, resulted in the deaths of at least 24 people and left many others injured.