HC upholds life term of Khulna rape convict

The High Court has upheld the life imprisonment of a convict, Ibrahim Gazi, in a case filed for raping a 15-year old girl in Dakop area of Khulna in 2006.

The HC upheld the life imprisonment of the convict considering the circumstances and statement of the victim.

"The appellate court has upheld the sentence handed down by the lower court concerned as the statement of the victim about the rape was believable," the HC bench of Justice Md Rezaul Haque and Justice Bhishmadev Chakrabortty made the observation in the full text of the verdict which was released today.

It said that the appellant (Ibrahim) cannot be acquitted of the charges on the excuse that the victim's medical test was not done or the claim that he did not rape her.

The bench had delivered the short verdict on February 27 this year on the appeal filed by Ibrahim Gazi challenging the trial court judgement on him in the rape case.

Deputy Attorney General Jannatul Ferdoushi Rupa told The Daily Star that the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court may make final observation and guidelines about this issue.

The HC verdict and observation regarding the punishment of the convict is applicable not for all other similar cases but for this particular one where medical report of the rape victim could not be produced since the hospital concerned had not conducted the test as the police did not cooperate with the victim, she said.

DAG Jannatul also said the victim was eight days late for filing the case due to the pressure from the local influential people.

The HC bench delivered the short verdict on February 27 this year upholding the judgement delivered by the trial court. 

Earlier, the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-1 of Khulna on March 13, 2019 convicted Ibrahim Gazi and sentenced him to life imprisonment in the case, and also fined him Tk 20,000 and directed that he would have to serve two years more in jail in default to pay the fine.

Convict Ibrahim filed an appeal with the HC challenging the tribunal verdict on him.

Ibrahim's lawyer Aminul Haque Helal told this correspondent that he is yet to receive the full text of the HC verdict.