Tarique, 48 other accused acquitted in Aug 21 grenade attack case

The High Court has acquitted all the accused, including BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman and former state minister Lutfozzaman Babar, in August 21 grenade attack cases.

An HC bench of Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayet Hossain delivered the judgement on Sunday after holding hearing on the death references and appeals.

The court started reading the verdict after 11AM. And after around half an hours, the court pronounced the judgement.
Deputy attorney general Md Jashim Sarkar represented the prosecution, while senior lawyers SM Shahjahan and Shishir Monir represented the defence.

The charge frame of the case declared ‘illegal’. There was not mentioned the name of grandade supplier in the chargesheet.

The grenade attack incident took place Bangabandhu Avenue in the capital on August 21, 2004. Following the incident, two cases–one for murder and another for explosives–were filed with Motijheel Police Station.

Dhaka’s Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 delivered the verdict on October 10, 2018 where 19 individuals, including former state minister for home affairs Lutfozzaman Babar and former deputy education minister Abdus Salam Pintu, were sentenced to death.

And 19 others, including Tarique Rahman, were sentenced to life imprisonment. Besides, 11 others were punished in different terms of imprisonment and fines.

After the verdict, the cases alongwith the judgment, were transferred to the High Court in 2018, where it was registered as a death reference case.

The hearing of the death reference and appeals, started at the High Court on October 31.