Apex court to give its verdict today

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court will deliver its decision today on the meaning and tenure of a convict's life imprisonment.

The apex court will also announce its verdict on a review petition involving the dispute over the issue.

The review petition has been included as the first item in today's cause-list of a seven-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain for announcement of judgement, says the SC website.

On November 24, the top court fixed December 1 as the date for delivering verdict after it concluded rehearing on the review petition filed by a convict, Ataur Mridha.

On July 11 last year, an apex court bench had kept the petition CAV (the verdict will be delivered any day). 

Later, a judge of the bench retired and another was appointed to the apex court. The SC bench included the petition in the cause list for its rehearing on November 24.

The apex court had earlier heard expert opinions from four amicus curiae (friends of court) -- senior lawyers AF Hasan Ariff, Rokanuddin Mahmud, Abdur Rezak Khan and AM Aminuddin -- on the issue.

Khandker Mahbub Hossain and Mohammad Shishir Manir appeared for the petitioner while Attorney General AM Amin Uddin argued for the state on November 24.

Ataur Mridha challenged an apex court verdict that on February 14, 2017 commuted his death penalty to life imprisonment in a murder case. The Appellate Division bench headed by then Chief Justice SK Sinha had said life imprisonment means jail until natural death of the convict. Mridha submitted the petition to the SC seeking review of its judgment the same year.