The High Court on Wednesday stayed a 2010 lower court order that had allowed the withdrawal of the names of 13 accused, including the then Awami League lawmaker HBM Iqbal, from a triple-murder case lodged in 2001, and their subsequent acquittal of the murder charges.
The lower court in 2010 passed the order in the case of the killing three Bangladesh Nationalist Party leaders at the Malibagh intersection in Dhaka on February 13, 2001, responding to a petition filed by the government under the Sheikh Hasina administration seeking the withdrawal of the names of 13 people including Iqbal and Nurunnabi Chowdhury, who was elected lawmaker for the first time with AL ticket in a by-election in 2010.
The bench of Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman and Justice Md Sagir Hossain on Wednesday also directed Nurunnabi, Iqbal, and their 11 associates to surrender before Dhaka鈥檚 8th Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge鈥檚 Court immediately in connection with the murder case.
Additionally, the court asked the government and Iqbal to justify within four weeks why the acquittal order, issued by the Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 on August 26, 2010, should not be overturned.
The High Court passed the order responding to a petition filed by BNP leader Md Yunus Mridha, who challenged the withdrawal of the case and subsequent acquittal of the 13 Awami League and Juba League leaders accused in the case.
On October 27, 2024, the BNP leader filed the petition after the mass student-led movement that ousted the Sheikh Hasina regime on August 5, 2024.
Besides Iqbal and Nurunnabi, the other acquitted AL leaders are Showkot Hosen Nannu, Kobir Uddin Ahamed, Abdus Salam, Munshi Kamruzzaman Kajol, Moniruzzaman Liton, Emdadul Bachu, Abdul Halim, Abul Bashar, Md Jashim Uddin, Tareq Shamsul Khan Himu and Md Kamrul Morshed.
The lower court, however, refused to withdraw the names of nine others, mostly suspected criminals listed by the police, from the case. The nine accused are deceased Pichhi Hanna, Khorshed Alam, Liakat Hossain, Monir Hosen, Golam Mostofa Pappu, Kamrul Hasan, GM Ziaul Haque Shamim, Kala Babu and SM Arman.聽
Three BNP leaders, Jashim Uddin, Mohamad Khokon and Abdur Rashid Mollah, were shot dead while an Awami-Juba League procession led by HBM Iqbal reached near Polwel Petrol Pumb at Malibagh on February 13, 2001.
HBM Iqbal, who was seen holding a pistol, allegedly opened fire targeting another procession led by senior BNP leader Mirza Abbas, according to the case filed by the then Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Dal鈥檚 Sabujbagh unit leader, Yunus Mridha,聽 under the Public Safety Act, 2000.
Lawyer Aminul Islam appeared for the BNP leader while deputy attorney general Abdul Karim represented the state.
