HC accepts Minni’s appeal for hearing

The High Court yesterday accepted for hearing the appeal filed by Ayesha Siddika Minni challenging the Barguna court verdict that convicted and sentenced her to death in her husband Rifat Sharif's murder case.

It also stayed the trial court order that fined her Tk 50,000 in the case.

The bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman came up with the order after Minni's lawyer ZI Khan Panna placed the appeal before the judges for its admission for hearing.

ZI Khan Panna told The Daily Star that they would take necessary steps so that the HC holds hearing of his client's appeal as soon as possible.

He said some other convicts have also filed appeals with the HC against the Barguna court's verdict.

On October 6, Minni filed the appeal with the HC challenging the Barguna court verdict that sentenced six people, including her, to death in the murder case on September 30.

Her lawyer Makkia Fatema Islam submitted the 18-page appeal on behalf of her client along with more than 400-page documents of the case seeking Minni's acquittal of the charges brought against her.

On that day, ZI Khan Panna, principal counsel for Minni, told this correspondent that the trial court convicted and sentenced Minni based on her confessional statement made under section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and CCTV footage.

"We will prove that Ayesha Siddika Minni is completely innocent during hearing of the appeal before the High Court," he said.

The five other condemned convicts are: Rakibul Hasan alias Rifat Farazi, Abdul Kaiyum alias Rabbi Akon, Mohaiminul Islam Sifat, Rezwanul Khan alias Tiktok Ridoy and Md Hasan. They were also fined Tk 50,000 each.

The Barguna court acquitted four accused -- Rafiul Islam Rabbi, Mohammad Sagor, Kamrul Islam Saimum and Md Musa -- as they were found innocent in the murder case.

The documents of the sensational Rifat Sharif murder case reached the HC on October 4 as a death reference to examine the trial court verdict.

If a lower court sentences any person to death in a case, its judgment is examined by the HC through hearing arguments for confirmation of the death sentence.

The case documents and judgment reach as death reference to the HC from the lower court in seven days after the latter delivers the verdict.