8 Huji men asked to appear before court by Sept 21

A court in Dhaka yesterday directed eight absconding Harkatul Jihad (Huji) members including brothers of detained former BNP lawmaker Abdus Salam Pintu to appear before the court by September 21 in connection with the August 21 grenade attack case.
Meanwhile, another Dhaka court re-fixed September 8 for hearing on charge framing against 22 accused including Pintu and Huji Chief Mufti Abdul Hannan in connection with the murder case.
The cases were filed for the grenade attacks on an Awami League (AL) rally at Bangabandhu Avenue on August 21, 2004 that left 23 people dead and around 200 others injured.
GRENADE ATTACK CASE
Judge Mohammad Azizul Haque of the Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court passed the order and directed the authorities concerned to give advertisement in two national Bangla dailies asking the absconding accused to appear before the court on the scheduled date.
The accused are Maulana Tajuddin, Maulana Liton, Anisul Mursalin, Mahibul Muttakin, Iqbal, Maulana Abu Bakar alias Selim Howlader, Jahangir Alam Badar and Khalilur Rahman.
During the hearing, Pintu, Mufti Hannan, Mohibullah alias Mafizur Rahman alias Ovi, Sharif Shahidul Islam alias Bipul, Maulana Abu Sayeed alias Dr Abu Zafar, Abul Kalam Azad alias Bulbul, Jahangir Alam, Maulana Abu Taher, Shahadatullah Jewel, Hossain Ahmed Tamim, Mufti Moinuddin Sheikh alias Abu Zandal alias Masum Billah, Arif Hasan Sumon, Rafiqul Islam Sabuj and Mohammad Ujjal alias Ratan were produced before the court.
MURDER CASE
Judge KM Rasheduzzaman Raja of the Second Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court adjourned the hearing following petitions submitted by the defence lawyers.
Moving the petition, Pintu's lawyers told the court that their client would not get justice if the two cases originating from one incident are tried by separate courts.
So they appealed to the court for the adjournment of the hearing.
The prosecution opposed it and told the court that there was no legal bar to run the cases by two separate courts as one case was filed for murder and the other one for blasting grenades on the rally.
Another lawyer submitted a petition saying that his client Mohammad Ujjal alias Ratan was tortured inhumanly in remand and he had lost his memory. So an adjournment is needed for his treatment.
After hearing both sides, the court granted the petitions filed for the adjournment of the hearing and asked the jail authorities to take necessary steps for Ujjal's proper treatment.