Hearing for Leave to Appeal in August 21 Grenade Attack Case Set for May 4

Staff Correspondent

The Appellate Division has set May 4 for hearing the leave to appeal filed by the state against the acquittal in the August 21 grenade attack case.

On Sunday, April 27, a bench led by Senior Justice Md. Ashfaqul Islam issued the order.

In the hearing, senior lawyers including Zainul Abedin, SM Shahjahan, Mahbub Uddin Khokon, Ruhul Kuddus Kajol, Kaiser Kamal, and Mohammad Shishir Monir represented the accused.

After the order, Shishir Monir told reporters that the judge who had delivered the verdict in the High Court, Justice AKM Asaduzzaman, was part of the Appellate Division bench. According to procedure, a judge who delivers a verdict cannot participate in an appeal; hence, the case will be listed for hearing before a reconstituted bench on May 4.

On August 21, 2004, a devastating grenade attack occurred during an Awami League rally on Bangabandhu Avenue, resulting in the deaths of 24 people and injuries to over 500. Two cases were filed under the charges of murder and explosives in the Motijheel police station. In 2009, under the Awami League government, further investigations named 30 individuals, including BNP leader Tarique Rahman, as accused.

After the trial, on October 10, 2018, the Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 issued its verdict. Nineteen people, including former State Minister Lutfozzaman Babar and former Deputy Minister Abdus Salam Pinto, were sentenced to death. Tarique Rahman and 19 others were sentenced to life imprisonment, while 11 others received various prison terms.

Among those sentenced to death were former NSI Director General Major General (Ret.) Rezzakul Haider Chowdhury, Brigadier General (Ret.) Abdur Rahim, and Hanif Paribahan owner Mohammad Hanif. Sentences for others ranged from two to three years in prison, including former Police IGP Md. Ashraful Huda, former DC Khan Said Hasan, and former Lieutenant Commander (Ret.) Saiful Islam Duke.

On November 27, 2018, the case file, including the death reference, was sent to the High Court. Hearing began on December 5, 2022, and in December of the following year, after a change in political power, the bench led by Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayet Hossain acquitted all the accused on December 1, 2023.

The state filed a leave to appeal against the High Court ruling, and the hearing will take place on May 4.