The Supreme Court appellate bench headed by the Chief Justice has set Apr 30 for verdict on the appeals by convicts in the 1975 jail killing case.

The six-strong bench on Wednesday heard defence counsel Abdullah Al Mamun, who spoke for the three absconding convicts.

All the three were awarded death penalty for killing four national leaders inside the Dhaka Central Jail.
The four leaders -- Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmed, M Mansur Ali and AHM Qamruzzaman -- were killed on Nov 3, 1975 by a group of army officers.


Last Tuesday, the bench had heard chief prosecutor Anisul Huq argue the case on behalf of the state. Attorney General Mahbubey Alam had also joined the arguments.
The jail killings, coming as it did within a few months of the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and almost his entire family, shocked the nation.
But trial in the jail killings effectively began 23 years later after Mujibur Rahman’s daughter Sheikh Hasina had led the Awami League to power first time after the 1975 military coup.
On Oct 15, 1998, a charge sheet was filed against 23 of those accused of killing the four leaders.
On Oct 20, 2004, Dhaka Sessions Judge Mohammed Motiur Rahman gave his verdict on the case, sentencing Risaldar Moslem Uddin, Dafadar Marfat Ali Shah and Dafadar Abul Hashem Mridha to death.
All three are absconding.
The twelve who were awarded life sentence included were Syed Farook Rahman, Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, Bazlul Huda, AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed, who had been given death sentence in the Bangabandhu murder case.
BNP leader KM Obaidur Rahman, Shah Moazzem Hossain, Nurul Islam Monjur and Taheruddin Thakur were acquitted.
Later, the High Court also acquitted Marfat Ali and Abul Hashem Mridha in 2008 following an appeal, though it upheld the death sentence of Moslem Uddin.
Farook Rahman, Shahriar Rashid, Bazlul Huda and AKM Mohiuddin, who had got life sentence, were also acquitted.
The High Court upheld the sentence of eight military officers – Khandkar Abdur Rashid, Shariful Haque Dalim, MHM B Nur Choudhury, AM Rashed Choudhury, Ahmed Shariful Hossain, Abdul Majed, Kismat Hossain and Najmul Hossain Ansar.
The families of the assassinated leaders cried hoarse, alleging that justice had not been done in the case. Some ministers also supported the contention, alleging miscarriage of justice.
But the government backed from an appeal anticipating delay of justice.
After the current Awami League led government was installed in office, the state appealed against the jail killings verdict of the High court on Sep 14, 2009.