Aug 21 grenade attack: SC starts hearing appeals against acquittal of Tarique, Babar

The Supreme Court today started hearing on the appeals against the High Court verdict that acquitted BNP acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, former state minister Lutfozzaman Babar, and others in two cases filed over the August 21 grenade attack.

A full bench of the Appellate Division of the SC headed by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed began the hearing with defence lawyer SM Shahjahan placing arguments this morning.

Defence lawyers AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon, Kayser Kamal and Mohammad Shishir Manir and Additional Attorney Generals Md Arshadur Rauf and Aneek R Haque are present in the courtroom.

Yesterday, the apex court fixed today for hearing of the appeals.

On June 2, the Appellate Division allowed the state to move two separate appeals that challenged the HC verdict in the cases.

On December 1 last year, the HC acquitted all the 49 accused, including Tarique and Babar, scrapping the trial court verdicts that had earlier convicted and sentenced them in connection with the grenade attack on an Awami League rally in 2004.

The acquittal came following hearings on death references and appeals filed by several convicts.

Later, the state filed two separate appeals with the Appellate Division seeking to overturn the HC decision.