HC bench set to hear death reference in Nusrat murder case
All the proceedings of the case reached the High Court on October 29 last year to approve the death sentence of the accused
Chief Justice Syed Mahmood Hossain on Monday set a bench for hearing the death reference in the sensational Nusrat Jahan Rafi murder case and the appeal of the accused on priority basis.
The High Court bench of Justice Soumendra Sarkar and Justice Shahed Nuruddin will hear the death reference.
Supreme Court's High Court Division special officer Mohammad Saifur Rahman said, "The concerned bench would set the dates for hearing the death reference and appeal soon."
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Earlier, printing of paper books (all the documents of the case) were done on a priority basis.
All the proceedings of the case reached the High Court on October 29 last year to approve the death sentence of the accused.
According to the criminal procedure, if a lower court sentences any person to death in a case, its judgment is examined by the HC through hearing arguments for confirmation of the death sentence. Accordingly, the death reference comes to the High Court. Some accused have also appealed to the Court.
On October 24 last year, the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal Judge Mamunur Rashid passed the verdict, sentencing each of the 16 accused to death. He also fined all the convicts a fine of Tk1 lakh each.
Nusrat was targeted after refusing to withdraw an allegation that she had been sexually harassed by the headteacher.
The 19-year-old madrasa student from Feni died on April 10, 2019, four days after she was set afire. She was sexually harassed by the then principal Siraj on March 27. Her mother filed a case against Siraj, who was later arrested and sent to jail.
