The government has filed appeal with the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court against the High Court verdict acquitting all 49 suspects sentenced by the Speedy Trial Tribunal in the August 21 grenade attack case.
Deputy Attorney General Zahirul Haque Sumon on Wednesday told reporters that the government has filed an appeal with the Supreme Court against the High Court verdict in August 21 grenade attack case.
The Appellate Division included the matter into its daily cause list for hearing on Wednesday. The four-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed was scheduled on Wednesday for hearing on the state appeal against the High Court verdict. But, the hearing did not take place on Wednesday, he added.
The government sought cancellation of the High Court verdict, he added.
Advocate Md Shishir Manir, one of the lawyers for the defendants, said, "The state has filed a leave to appeal against the High Court's verdict. We will move with the Supreme Court for upholding the High Court verdict in the case," he added.
On December 1, last year, an HC bench of Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayet Hossain pronounced the judgement acquitting all accused in the case.
The grenade attack was carried out on August 21, 2004 in Dhaka's Bangabandhu Avenue that left 24 people dead nearly 300 others injrued.
On October 10, 2018, a Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal pronounced a verdict in one of the cases (pertaining to murder and explosives).
The tribunal sentenced 19 accused, including Lutfozzaman Babar and former deputy education minister Abdus Salam Pintu, to death.
Besides, 19 others, including Tarique Rahman, were handed life term imprisonment while 11 accused received various terms of imprisonment and fines.
The judgment was subsequently transferred to the HC in 2018, registered as a death reference case.
