SC verdict on Azharul’s appeal toady

The Supreme Court is set today to deliver its verdict on an appeal challenging the death penalty of Jamaat-e-Islami leader ATM Azharul Islam for crimes against humanity during the Liberation War.

The appeal has been included as item one for "announcement of judgment" in today's cause list of a seven-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed.

On May 8, the apex court bench fixed today for delivering its verdict after concluding the appeal hearing.

On February 27, the SC allowed Azharul to move a fresh appeal before the court challenging his death penalty.

Azharul was allegedly the commander of the Al-Badr force and president of Chhatra Sangha, the then-student wing of Jamaat in Rangpur, during the war.

Jamaat leaders Motiur Rahman Nizami, Abdul Quader Mollah, Muhammad Kamaruzzaman, Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed, Mir Quasem Ali, and BNP leader Salauddin Quader Chowdhury were previously executed following SC verdicts for crimes against humanity in 1971.