Bangabandhu Killer: Death warrant issued, read to Majed

Judge Md Helal Chowdhury of District and Sessions Judge's Court of Dhaka issued the order after the prosecution submitted two separate petitions -- one for showing him arrested and the other for issuing the death warrant.

Majed, however, filed a mercy petition to the president, seeking clemency.

"We will send the petition to the president tomorrow [today] via the ministry concerned," said Mahbubul Islam, jailer of Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj.

At first, the court showed Majed arrested in the case as he had been absconding since the case was filed in 1996.

Later, the judge issued the death warrant and also read it out to Majed, who was present in the dock.

During the hearing, Majed told the court that he was not involved in the killing.

After passing the order, the court sent back Majed to Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj with the death warrant. The jail authorities will again read out the death warrant to him once it reaches the jail, said Mosharraf Hossain Kajol, one of the prosecutors.

The death sentence will be executed between 21 and 28 days of its issuance, the lawyer added.

Dhaka District Public Prosecutor Khandakar Abdul Mannan submitted the petitions after receiving the copy of the order from the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court on Majed's arrest.

On November 19, 2009, the Supreme Court upheld a High Court verdict, confirming capital punishment of 12 people, including Majed, for killing the Father of the Nation and most of his family members on August 15, 1975.

Although all the courts across the country remain closed until April 14 due to the outbreak of coronavirus, District and Sessions Judge Md Helal Chowdhury, as per the instruction of the Supreme Court, opened his court yesterday only to hear the petition.

On Tuesday, Chief Metropolitan Magistrate of Dhaka sent Majed to Dhaka Central Jail after a team of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police arrested him in the capital's Mirpur.