HC verdict on death references August 24

The High Court on Thursday fixed August 24 for delivering its verdict on the death references and appeals filed challenging the trial court verdict that awarded death penalty to 16 convicts, including former Sonagazi Senior Fazil Madrassah principal SM Sirajuddoula, in the murder of Nusrat Jahan Rafi.

The HC bench comprising Justice Bhishmadev Chakrabortty and Justice KM Rasheduzzaman Raja fixed the date after concluding the hearing of the death references and appeals.

The HC bench started the hearing on the appeals and death references of the case on July 28.

The death reference, comprising the trial court records, was sent to the High Court for confirmation of the capital punishment, as required by law. The convicts subsequently appealed against their convictions and sought acquittal.

Nusrat, an 18-year-old student of Sonagazi Islamia Fazil Madrassah in Feni, was set on fire on the madrassah premises on April 6, 2019, during her Fazil examinations.

She was attacked after refusing to withdraw a sexual assault case filed against the madrassah principal, Sirajuddoula.

Nusrat suffered severe burns and died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital on April 10, 2019. Her death sparked widespread protests across the country and drew strong public anger over violence against women and girls.

The Feni Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal on October 24, 2019, sentenced all 16 accused to death. The tribunal also fined each of them Tk 1 lakh.

The 16 death-row convicts are SM Sirajuddoula, Md Nur Uddin, Md Shahadat Hossain Shamim, Maksud Alam, Saifur Rahman Md Zubayer, Jabed Hossain, Hafez Abdul Kader, Md Afsar Uddin, Qamrunnahar Moni, Umme Sultana Popi, Abdur Rahim Sharif, Iftekhar Uddin Rana, Imran Hossain, Md Shamim, Ruhul Amin, and Mohiuddin Shakil.

The trial court sent the case records to the High Court on October 29, 2019, for confirmation of the death sentences.