DHAKA: The Supreme Court deferred till November 17 the hearings of the petitions filed by condemned war criminals Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid and Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, seeking review of death penalty given against them.

Four-member AD bench led-by chief justice Surendra Kumar Sinha separately will hear the petitions on the day.

Other judges include Nazmun Ara Sultan, Syed Mahmud Hossain and Hasan Foyez Siddiqui.

The apex court accepted Mujahid’s petition seeking deferment of the hearing.

The SC also rejected another petition submitted by war criminal Salauddin seeking issuance of summon order to eight witnesses, including five Pakistan citizens.

Khandaker Mahbub Hossain moved for Salauddin Quader Chowdhury while attorney general Mahbubey Alam stood for the state.

On October 14, death row convicts Jamaat-e-Islami secretary general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid and BNP leader Salauddin Quader Chowdhury separately appealed before the Supreme Court seeking review of its previous verdicts.

In the 108-page review petition, Salauddin’s lawyer has sought acquittal of his client from charges by placing 10 grounds.

Lawyer and also BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia’s one of the advisors Khandakar Mahbub Hossain will lead the team to defend the convict.

On the other hand, in the 38-page petition has been sought acquittal of Mujahid from death penalty and exemption from the charges showing 32 grounds.

With the petition, 300-page paper book had also been submitted in the court.

During the review hearing, Khandaker Mahbub Hossian, one of the advisers of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, will lead the Mujahid lawyers’ panel.

Earlier on June 16, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, through a summary verdict, upheld the death sentence that the International Crimes Tribunal-2 handed down on July 17, 2013, for his crimes against humanity during the Liberation War in 1971.
Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha led the four-member appeal  bench that upheld the verdict.

The full verdict was published on September 30. Later on October 1, the jail authority read out the verdict to Mujahid.

Besides, the Appellate Division on July 29 the verdict against Salauddin for their crimes against humanity during the country’s Liberation War in 1971.

Later, the complete verdict against the two death row convict was published on September 30.

BDST: 1107/1550 HRS, NOV 02, 2015
RS/SMS