The High Court (HC) on Tuesday acquitted former state minister for home affairs Lutfozzaman Babar and four others in a case filed under the Special Powers Act related to the 10-truck arms haul in Chattogram in 2004.
The other acquitted individuals include Mohsin Talukder, AKM Enamul Haque, Rezzakul Haider Chowdhury, and Nurul Amin. Following the judgment, the defence confirmed that there are no legal barriers to Babar's release from jail.
A division bench comprising Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam and Justice Nasreen Akter delivered the verdict after reviewing appeals in the case.
Additionally, the court commuted the life sentence of convict Paresh Barua to 14 years in prison. Sentences for Akbar Hossain, Liakat Hossain, Hafizur Rahman, and Shahabuddin were reduced to 10 years each. Four other convicts, including Matiur Rahman Nizami, were acquitted posthumously as they had passed away during the trial process.
The case dates back to April 1, 2004, when law enforcement and coast guard personnel intercepted 10 truckloads of arms, ammunition, and explosives being unloaded at the CUFL jetty along the Karnaphuli River. The seizure led to the filing of two cases, one under the Special Powers Act and another under the Arms Act.
In 2014, a trial court sentenced 14 individuals, including Lutfozzaman Babar and former industries minister and Jamaat-e-Islami leader Matiur Rahman Nizami, to death under the Special Powers Act. They also received life imprisonment sentences under the Arms Act.
The HC began hearing death references and appeals in the case on November 6, 2024, culminating in today’s landmark judgment.
