21 August grenade attack: Acquittal of Tarique, Babar upheld
A six-member appellate bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice Dr Syed Refaat Ahmed, announced the verdict on Thursday.
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has upheld the High Court verdict that acquitted BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, former State Minister Lutfozzaman Babar, and 47 others in two cases over the 21 August grenade attack.
A six-member appellate bench, headed by Chief Justice Dr Syed Refaat Ahmed, delivered the ruling on Thursday (4 September). Advocate SM Shahjahan and Advocate Mohammad Shishir Monir appeared for Tarique Rahman and Lutfozzaman Babar in court.
Earlier, on 21 August, the same Appellate Division bench, led by the Chief Justice, had set 4 September for the verdict after concluding hearings on the state’s appeals.
On 1 December last year, the High Court acquitted all 49 accused, including Tarique and Babar, overturning the trial court judgments that had convicted and sentenced them in connection with the attack on an Awami League rally in 2004.
The acquittals came after hearings on death references and appeals by several convicts. The state later appealed to the Appellate Division, seeking to reverse the High Court’s decision.
The grenade attack took place on 21 August 2004 on Bangabandhu Avenue in Dhaka. In two related cases—one under the murder charge and another under the explosives act—the Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 delivered its verdict on 10 October 2018.
The tribunal sentenced 19 individuals, including former state minister Lutfozzaman Babar and former deputy education minister Abdus Salam Pintu, to death. Another 19, including Tarique Rahman, were sentenced to life imprisonment, while 11 others received varying jail terms and fines.
The High Court began hearing the death reference and appeals in the case on 31 October.
Both cases were initially filed at Motijheel Police Station. The caretaker government reopened the investigation in 2007, and the CID submitted charges in 2008 against 22 accused, alleging that extremist-linked attackers had sought to assassinate Sheikh Hasina and wipe out the Awami League’s leadership.
Further investigations under the Awami League government led to a supplementary charge sheet implicating 30 others, including Tarique Rahman.
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