The Supreme Court has commenced hearing BNP leader Salauddin Quader Chowdhury’s appeal for a review his death penalty for war crimes.

The hearing began after 9am on Wednesday.
 
It was scheduled to be heard on Tuesday but the appeal bench, led by Chief Justice SK Sinha, had deferred it at the plea of the defence counsel.
 
It comes a day after proceedings on a similar petition by another death-row war criminal Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid on Tuesday morning.
 
The bench is to deliver its verdict on the Jamaat-e-Islami secretary general’s review appeal on Wednesday.

A war crimes tribunal had sentenced Chittagong’s wartime terror Salauddin Quader, a former Fatikchharhi MP, to death on Oct 1, 2013 for mass slaughter and torture of Hindus and Awami League supporters.

A Supreme Court Appellate Division bench, led by Chief Justice SK Sinha, had upheld Chowdhury’s death penalty on July 29.

The full appeal verdict was published on Sep 30.

Chowdhury is currently in Kashimpur Jail.

On Monday, the High Court dropped a writ petition by his wife Farhat Quader Chowdhury challenging the constitution of the war crimes tribunal from its cause list.

The review petition is Chowdhury’s last legal hope to evade execution.

If the court does not reverse the verdict, he will be left with the sole option of seeking presidential clemency.

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