21 Aug grenade attack trial: State to appeal to CJ for hearing on priority basis

A hearing on death references and appeals in the 21 August grenade attack cases has not started even two years after the "paper book" – necessary for the High Court to dispose of a death reference or an appeal – was prepared.

Last year, the attorney general's office started the hearing on a virtual bench amid the pandemic but it was without effective results.

Lawyers now say  the chief justice can assign a High Court (HC) bench for the hearing.

Attorney General AM Amin Uddin said the hearing was not possible earlier due to the suspension of regular court proceedings during the pandemic.

"The state will soon appeal to the chief justice for a hearing on a priority basis," he told The Business Standard.

Asked when the application would be filed, Amin Uddin said, "I can't say at the moment. But the initiative will be taken very soon."

However, Khandaker Mahbub Hossain, one of the defence counsels in the cases, said apart from these appeals and death reference applications, several hundred others were pending in the High Court.

"It would be inconsistent if the hearing of the August 21 cases was held on a priority basis without settling the earlier ones first. Therefore, it would be logical to take the initiative to hear this case after a settlement of the previous cases," he added.

For his part, the attorney general said this is a sensitive case and that is why the hearing will be held on a priority basis.

Supreme Court spokesperson Saifur Rahman told TBS the paper books have reached the relevant bench of the HC. Now a hearing will be held on it after the chief justice assigns a HC bench.

Lawyer Abdur Rashid Mollah, who is defending six accused, including Pakistani national Abdul Majed Bhat, in court, and Mia Mohammad Idi Amin, counsel for three accused including Maulana Abdus Salam, said that they are also preparing for the hearing.

On 21 August 2004, a grenade attack at a rally of the then Leader of the Opposition and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina in the capital left 24 people killed. Hundreds more were injured. 

Sheikh Hasina, currently the prime minister, narrowly survived the attack.

In October 2018, the trial court sentenced 19 people to death, 19 others to life imprisonment and 11 to various jail terms over the incident. 

The Bangladesh Government Press prepared a separate paper book – which contains all the details of a case, trial proceedings, statements, evidence, verdicts and other documents – for each accused and sent it to the HC in August 2020.

There are 18 fugitives, including BNP's acting chief Tarique Rahman.