DHAKA: Supreme Court (SC) Appellate Division has fixed May 5 for verdict on the plea of war criminal Motiur Rahman Nizami seeking review his death penalty.

Four-member SC bench led by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha passed the order after end of hearing on the plea on Tuesday.

Earlier on April 10, a three-member bench of the Appellate Division, led by Chief Justice SK Sinha fixed May 3 for hearing.

On March 30, the prosecution filed an appeal with the Appellate Division for a quick hearing on the review petition of Nizami.

The prosecution filed the appeal with Chamber Judge of the Appellate Division Justice Mirza Hossain Haider who later sent it to the regular bench of the division, fixing April 3, later deferred to April 10, for the hearing.

Deputy Attorney General Ekramul Haque Tutul, who argued for the state during the hearing at the Chamber Judge’s court, told reporters that they have appealed for a quick hearing on condemned war criminal Nizami’s appeal and the Chamber Judge has sent it to the regular bench of the division for hearing.

On March 29, Barrister Najib Momen, son of Nizami, submitted a 70-page review petition with the Appellate Division.

The review petition sought release of the convict from the war crimes case mentioning 46 grounds, Barrister Najib told reporters.

On March 15, the ICT issued a death warrant for Nizami for his crimes against humanity during the Liberation War in 1971 after the apex court released the full text of its verdict upholding his death penalty.

On January 6, a four-member bench of the Appellate Division, headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, upheld the death sentence of the Jamaat Ameer for his crimes against humanity during the war.

The Supreme Court upheld the ICT-1 order sentencing Nizami to death for the wartime crimes, including genocide and murder of intellectuals.

On October 29, 2014, the ICT-1 sentenced Nizami to death for committing crimes against humanity during the Liberation War.

The tribunal sentenced Nizami, the 1971 commander-in-chief of Al Badr, a secret killing squad of Jamaat-e-Islami, the capital punishment each on four counts of charges of war crimes, terming Al Badr a criminal outfit.

Nizami filed an appeal with the SC on November 23, 2014 challenging the death sentence and claimed himself innocent and sought to be cleared of the charges.

BDST: 1256 HRS, May 3, 2016
AKA