Aug 21 Cases
Ex-DCC councillor appeals for discharge
Ariful Islam Arif, a former ward councillor of Dhaka City Corporation (DCC), appealed to a Dhaka court yesterday, for discharging him from the August 21 grenade attack cases.
Arif would complete his arguments on the discharge petitions during the next hearing (February 13), Joynul Abedin Meshbah, one of Arif's lawyers, told The Daily Star.
The former councillor submitted the discharge petitions to the Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 yesterday when it resumed hearing on charge framing against the accused.
A total of 52 persons are sued for the grenade attack, with 32 now in jail, only Arif on bail, and the remaining 19, including BNP senior vice-chairman Tarique Rahman, fugitive.
Earlier on the day, counsels for Harkat-ul Jihad al Islami (Huji) leaders--Jahangir Alam and Shahdatullah Jewel--completed their arguments for discharge of their clients from the charges.
Twenty-four people, including Awami League (AL) leader Ivy Rahman, were killed and another 200 injured in the grenade attack on an AL rally at Bangabandhu Avenue on August 21, 2004.
A total of 30 accused, including Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed and former state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar, now in custody, have so far appealed to the court to be discharged from the cases. Their counsels completed arguments on the discharge petitions on different dates.
Thirty-two accused, including Babar and Mojaheed, now in jail, were produced before the court yesterday. Arif was also present.
Judge Shahed Nuruddin fixed February 13 for the next hearing.
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