The Bangladesh Supreme Court (SC) yesterday upheld the death sentence of Masumur Rahman alias Masum, a member of the banned militant outfit Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), over a bomb blast case.
A four-member bench of the SC, led by Chief Justice S K Sinha, passed the order.
Besides, the SC scrapped the High Court judgment that had acquitted condemned convict Mohammad Amzad Ali, another JMB man, and ordered his retrial.
The SC also asked the authorities concerned to shift Amzad Ali to general cell from the
condemned cell of the jail.
Lawyer Delwar Hossain stood for Masum while deputy attorney general Shashank Shekhor Sarkar represented the state.
According to the prosecution, a group of unidentified men carried out the bomb attack on Laxmipur district judge court during working hours on
October 3, 2005.
Majibullah, a litigant, was killed and several other people, including judge M A Sufian and bench officer Shafiqullah, were injured in the bomb blast.
Later, a case was filed against JMB member Masumur Rahman alias Masum in this connection.
On August 15, 2006, Laxmipur Speedy Trial Tribunal sentenced three JMB men - Masum, Ataur Rahman Sunny and Amzad Ali - to death in two cases.
Later, the convicts filed an appeal with the High Court against the tribunal verdict.
After hearing, a High Court bench upheld the death sentence of Masum while acquitted
Amzad Ali in the case in 2013.
Later, the state filed an appeal with the Supreme Court against the verdict and the convicts filed petitions seeking acquittal.