The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court is expected to deliver a verdict on Thursday on a appeal petition filed Jamaat-e-Islami leader ATM Azharul Islam against his death sentence for war crimes in 1971.
On July 10, a four-member bench headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain deferred the verdict for further deliberation (CAV) after hearing the arguments of both sides in the case, reports bdnews24.com.
The other members of the bench are Justice Hasan Foez Siddique, Justice Zinat Ara and Justice Md Nuruzzaman.
This is the 10th appeal to the top court against the verdict of International Crimes Tribunal.
Azharul was sentenced to death for murders, rapes and genocide during the Liberation War in 1971 by the International Crimes Tribunal in 2014.
He filed an appeal seeking acquittal in the case within a month of the verdict. The Appellate Division subsequently ordered him to submit summary of his appeal on Aug 13, 2017.
The appeal hearing was scheduled for Oct 10, 2017 but the lawyer of the convicted leader pleaded for more time. But the case appeared on the apex court’s hearing list on Apr 10 after one and a half years.
On the day, the chief justice scheduled the next hearing for Jun 18.
Azharul, along with Jamaat and Chhatra Sangha activists, collaborated with the Pakistan Army and attacked villages around Jharhuar Beel on Apr 17, 1971.
They torched and looted houses and killed over 1,200 Hindus. Another 200 Hindus were detained and later killed at an undisclosed location. The incident is said to be the single biggest act of genocide in the war.
