Charge framing not held for prosecution's time petition
A Dhaka court yesterday could not frame charges against Harkatul Jihad (Huji) chief Mufti Abdul Hannan and 13 other Huji operatives in connection with the Ramna Batamul blast cases sustaining time petitions by the prosecution lawyers.
Judge ANM Bashir Ullah of the Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court fixed April 16 for next hearing date and directed the jail authorities to produce all the accused in custody.
Metropolitan Public Prosecutor Advocate Abdullah Abu submitted the petitions saying though he had made submissions on charge framing against the accused he would make further incorporations on the issue. So, he prayed for adjournment of the order on charge framing.
Earlier, the defence lawyers had also made submissions saying their clients had been implicated in the cases as part of a conspiracy to harass them. So, they prayed for discharging the accused from the charges.
The bomb blasts at Ramna Batamul took place during Pahela Baishakh celebrations on April 14 in 2001 resulting in 10 deaths and mass injuries.
Mufti Hannan, Arif Hassan Sumon, Shahadat Ullah Jewel, Maulana Abu Taher and Maulana Abdur Rouf, now in jail, were produced before the court while Akbar, now on bail, was present during the hearing.
Former deputy minister Abdus Salam Pintu's brother Maulana Tajuddin, Maulana Sabbir alias Abdul Hannan, Maulana Shaokat Osman alias Sheikh Farid, Jahangir Alam Badar, Selim Howlader, Mufti Shafiqur Rahman, Maulana Yahya and Mufti Abdul Hye remain fugitives since the cases were filed.
Criminal Investigation Department submitted charge sheets against the accused to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court of Dhaka on November 29 last year.
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