SC hearing on review plea now on April 5
The Supreme Court yesterday adjourned hearing for a second time the review petition of condemned war criminal Muhammad Kamaruzzaman against its verdict that upheld his death penalty.
A four-member Appellate Division bench headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha fixed the next date of hearing on April 5.
The court passed the order in response to Kamaruzzaman's petition filed on Tuesday. The petition sought a four-week adjournment of hearing on the ground that principal defence counsel Khandker Mahbub Hossain was ill.
During yesterday's hearing, Justice AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik, a judge of the bench, expressed dissatisfaction over the adjournment petition, saying that he saw Mahbub Hossain addressing a press briefing on Tuesday.
Pointing to advocate-on-record Jaynal Abedin, who moved the petition on behalf of Kamaruzzaman, Justice Manik said, “You are misleading the apex court with blatant falsehood. It is absolutely horrendous.”
Jaynal Abedin told the court that Khandker Mahbub was admitted to a hospital for treatment.
Then Justice Manik said, “I have seen him [Mahbub Hossain] in the private television channel Ekattur. He addressed the press. Then, how can you say that he is in a hospital.”
“You [Khandker Mahbub and Jaynal] are doing farce with the apex court. Nowhere in the world has an adjournment prayer been granted on the ground of personal difficulties of an advocate.”
Justice Manik also said the defence had no desire to complete this case.
Attorney General Mahbubey Alam vehemently opposed the adjournment petition, saying it was filed intentionally to delay the proceeding of the case.
Khandker Mahbub Hossain has presided over a meeting of the executive committee of Supreme Court Bar Association and addressed a press briefing on Tuesday, he said.
After hearing from both the prosecution and defence, the SC came up with the adjournment order yesterday.
On March 8, the Jamaat leader lodged a petition with the SC, seeking a four-week adjournment of hearing on the review petition.
The SC fixed yesterday for holding the hearing on the petition.
Kamaruzzaman filed the review petition on March 5, praying to the SC to scrap his conviction and acquit him of the charges.
On February 19, the prison authorities read out the death warrant to him after the International Crimes Tribunal-2 had issued it the same day.
On November 3 last year, the SC upheld his death penalty awarded by the tribunal on May 9 in 2013 for his wartime offences.
Kamaruzzaman submitted his appeal to the court, challenging the tribunal's judgment on June 6, 2013.
During the court's proceedings yesterday, the SC could not hear two other appeals filed by war crimes convicts -- Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed and Salauddin Quader Chowdhury -- challenging their death penalties awarded by the International Crimes Tribunal.
Both the appeals were included in yesterday's hearing list of the apex court.
Comments