SC to resume hearing today

The Supreme Court has fixed today for resuming the hearing of two leave to appeal petitions filed by the state challenging the High Court verdict that acquitted BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman, former state minister Lutfozzaman Babar, and others previously convicted in two cases over the August 21, 2004 grenade attack.

A five-member bench of the Appellate Division, led by Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam, set the date as the chief justice is scheduled to join the bench for the hearing tomorrow, Advocate Mohammad Shishir Manir, a defence counsel, told The Daily Star.

The apex court had earlier scheduled today to resume hearings on the matters.

On December 1 last year, the High Court acquitted all 49 accused, including Tarique and Babar, and scrapped the trial court verdicts that had convicted and sentenced them.

The bench delivered its judgment following hearings on the death references and appeals filed by some of the convicts. In response, the state filed two separate leave to appeal petitions with the Appellate Division challenging the HC verdict.