Death reference hearing may start after 2 months

The Supreme Court authorities are expected to ready the paper-book of the BDR carnage case in the next two months, which would pave the way for complete adjudication of the biggest ever criminal case in the country's history in terms of the number of accused and convicts.

A paper-book, which contains all details of a case, trial proceedings, verdicts, and other documents including statements and evidence, is necessary for the High Court to hear and dispose of a death reference or an appeal. 

Once the paper-book is ready, the HC may start hearing the death references and appeals in the carnage case.

All the relevant documents have been composed, a vital part of the huge job, said a judicial official dealing with the paper-book told The Daily Star recently, wishing anonymity. Twelve staff are now editing the papers and verifying them with case records, which is expected to be completed in next two or three weeks, he said.

The SC official said around 230 copies of the paper-book would be prepared in the case, each of which would have 40,000 to 42,000 pages. For easy handling, the paper-book will be published in more than 40 volumes, he added.

A Dhaka court on November 5 last year awarded death penalty to 150 soldiers of the erstwhile Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) and two civilians, and sentenced 161 others to life imprisonment for their roles and involvement in the carnage.

It also handed down rigorous imprisonment, ranging from three to 10 years, to another 256 people, mostly BDR jawans. The court acquitted remaining 277 accused. A total of 846 people, 823 of them BDR members, stood the trial.

Three digital printing machines and a binding machine have been brought from Japan at a cost of Tk 32 lakh for preparing the paper-book, as Chief Justice Md Muzammel Hossain has given priority to quick disposal of the case.

Seventy-four people, including 57 army officials, were slain in the BDR mutiny on February 25-26 in 2009 at the Pilkhana headquarters in Dhaka. The paramilitary force was later renamed Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB).