Tenure of life term: SC set to deliver verdict on Dec 1

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court will deliver its verdict on December 1 on a review petition involving the dispute over the tenure of a convict's life term imprisonment.

A seven-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain today set the date after concluding rehearing on the review petition filed by a convict, Ataur Mridha.

Read more: Tenure of Life Imprisonment: Over 5,000 prisoners' fate in the balance

On July 11 last year, an apex court bench had kept the same review petition as CAV ("curia advisari vult", meaning the verdict will be delivered any day).

Later on, a judge of the bench retired and another judge was appointed to the apex court.

The SC bench included the review petition in the cause list for its rehearing today.

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.

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

Ataur Mridha challenged an apex court verdict that on February 14, 2017 commuted his death penalty to life imprisonment in a murder case.