The High Court (HC) on Sunday upheld the trial court verdict that sentenced 20 BUET students and former leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) in connection with the murder of fellow student Abrar Fahad.
In addition to the death sentences, the HC also upheld life-term imprisonment for five other students involved in the killing.
Fahad was targeted after he criticised the AL regime's agreements with India in a 2019 Facebook post and suspected his involvement in politics of Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shishir.
The HC bench comprising Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayet Hossain delivered the judgement after accepting the death references and dismissing the appeals from the five life-sentenced individuals of the case.
Expressing satisfaction over the verdict, attorney general Md Asaduzzaman said, "The concept for bringing discipline in the state and society and ensuring justice has been established through the High Court judgement."
The Attorney General said, "Today's verdict has sent a message to society that no matter how powerful you are, no matter how much power you have behind you, the truth will be established one day. Justice will be served."
"The death of Abrar Fahad has established that no matter how strong fascism is, people's sense of humanity can sometimes awaken and crush all fascism," the chief law officer of the state noted.
In an immediate reaction over the High Court verdict, Barkat Ullah, father of BUET student Abrar Fahad, said that they were satisfied with the High Court's verdict and wanted to see the execution of the verdict after completing all legal procedures as soon as possible.
However, legal experts said that the process of the case was not going to end any time soon. If the accused or the state files an appeal in the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, it will take time to be resolved.
Then there will be a review. Finally, the convicted [if the sentence is upheld in the final trial] may seek mercy from the president, lawyers concerned opined.
Only after completing all legal procedures, the issue of implementing the verdict will come into the light, the lawyers added.
Barkat Ullah, father of Abrar Fahad said that the students should take a lesson from the message given by the court. Parents send their children to educational institutions and work hard for their education. They are not at fault. However, when children go astray, influenced by various temptations, it deeply hurts their parents, he said.
"I urge the students not to engage in bad politics," he added.
The HC upheld the trial court judgement as the allegations brought against the convicts were proven, said Deputy Attorney Generals Md Jashim Sarker and Nur Muhammad Azami.
Details of the grounds and observations on which the HC came up with the verdict will be known when its full text is released, lawyer concerned said.
The 20 convicts given death sentence are: former general secretary of banned outfit Chhatra League's BUET unit Mehedi Hasan Russel, ex-organising secretary Mehedi Hasan Robin alias Shanto, ex-information and research secretary Anik Sarkar Apu, ex-literature secretary Moniruzzaman Monir, ex-sports secretary Meftahul Islam Zion, ex-deputy social welfare secretary Ifti Mosharraf Shokal, ex-deputy office secretary Mustaba Rafid; former members Mujahidur Rahman Mujahid, Muntasir Al Jemi and Ehtashamul Rabbi Tanim; activists Khandaker Tabakkarul Islam Tanvir, ASM Nazmus Sadat, Majedur Rahman alias Majed, Hossain Mohammad Toha, Shamim Billah, Mizanur Rahman Mizan, SM Mahmud Setu, Shamsul Arefin Rafat, Muhammad Morshed-Uz-Zaman Mondol alias Jishan and Morshed Amartya Islam.
Buet BCL's former vice-president Muhtasim Fuad, former library and publication secretary Ishtiaq Ahmed Munna, former deputy legal affairs secretary Amit Saha and activists Akash Hossain and Moaz Abu Hurayra were given life term imprisonment.
Among the convicts, Mustaba, Jishan and Tanim have been absconding since the incident, while the rest were behind bars.
Muntasir Al Jemy, sentenced to death for the murder of Abrar Fahad, escaped from prison on August 6 last year, but the Abrar's family was in the dark until February 24 this year.
