A special tribunal here on Wednesday issued death warrants for Harkat-ul-Jihad (Huji) chief Mufti Abdul Hannan and two others condemned to death in a case filed over the grenade attack on ex-British envoy to Bangladesh Anwar Choudhury in 2004.
Copies of the death warrants were sent to Sylhet Central Jail, where one of the death-row convicts, Delwar Alias Ripon, was kept in the evening, said Jail Super Abdus Sagir Miah.
The death warrants for the Huji chief and Sharif Shahedul Alam alias Bipul were sent to Kashimpur High Security Central Jail in Gazipur from here as they are now in that prison, he said.
The Divisional Speedy Trial Tribunal of Sylhet issued the death warrants after the Supreme Court rejected petitions filed by the trio seeking a review of its earlier verdict upholding a High Court judgment.
Now the convicts have the only option to seek presidential clemency, Sagir said, adding that Ripon told them that he will decide on seeking the presidential mercy after talking to his family and lawyers.
Meanwhile, Kashimpur High Security Central Jail Super Mijanur Rahman said Mufti Hannan informed him that he will file a mercy petition.
On March 19, the Appellate Division upheld the death sentence of Mufti Hannan, Ripon and Bipul the hearing of the review petition filed by the three death row convicts. It released the full text of its verdict on March 21.
On December 7, 2016, a SC bench, headed by Chief Justice SK Sinha, upheld the death penalty of the three in the case rejecting appeals filed by the Huji chief and Bipul challenging the High Court verdict that had upheld their death sentence awarded by the tribunal.
On February 11, 2016, a High Court bench comprising Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Amir Hossain delivered the verdict upholding the death sentence of the three.
In 2004, the then British High Commissioner Anwar Choudhury came under a grenade attack while coming out of Hazrat Shahjalal’s shrine in his hometown Sylhet.
The envoy and 40 employees of the Sylhet district administration were injured in the attack.
Assistant sub-inspector Kamal Uddin died on the spot, while two constables — Rubel Ahmed and Habil Miah — succumbed to their injuries in a hospital.
source:UNB
