High Court to Announce Verdict on August 21 Grenade Attack Cases, Deciding Fate of 49 Convicts

 

The Bangladesh High Court is set to deliver its verdict on the death references and appeals related to the August 21, 2004 grenade attack cases. This attack, targeting an Awami League rally at Bangabandhu Avenue in Dhaka, killed 24 people and injured around 300. Sheikh Hasina, then leader of the opposition, narrowly escaped the attack, which remains one of the most significant acts of political violence in the country's history.

In 2018, a Dhaka court handed down sentences to 49 individuals connected to the attack. Nineteen were sentenced to death, including Lutfozzaman Babar, a former BNP minister, while 19 others, including BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman, received life imprisonment. Eleven more were given various prison terms. Eighteen of these convicts remain at large.

During the appeal hearings, defense lawyers argued that the trial court's verdict was flawed, citing inadequate evidence and alleging that the investigation was politically motivated. They also questioned the legality of some procedural aspects, such as the resubmission of a charge sheet. The prosecution, however, maintained that the evidence against the accused was conclusive and urged the High Court to uphold the lower court's decisions.

The High Court bench of Justices AKM Asaduzzaman and Syed Enayet Hossain concluded the hearings and kept the matters as curia advisari vult (verdict reserved). The decision is expected to play a significant role in the broader discourse on justice and political accountability in Bangladesh .