Court Starts Final Hearing in Ramisa Rape-Murder Case

Final arguments began on Thursday in the case over the rape and murder of child Ramisa Akter in Pallabi, Mirpur, bringing the trial to a crucial stage.

The hearing started at around 11:45am before Judge Masrur Salekin of the Dhaka Metropolitan Children's Violence Suppression Tribunal, with both accused present in the courtroom.

State prosecutor Advocate Azizur Rahman Dulu presented the prosecution's closing arguments, while defence counsel Advocate Musa Kalimullah is set to argue on behalf of the accused after the prosecution completes its submissions.

Once both sides conclude their arguments, the tribunal is expected to fix a date for the verdict.

The court had scheduled Thursday for final arguments after completing the examination of the accused and recording defence evidence on Wednesday. The two accused, Sohel Rana and his wife Swapna Khatun, were brought before the court earlier in the day. The proceedings began shortly after the judge took the bench, following a brief delay reportedly caused by Swapna's illness.

The case moved to trial after the tribunal accepted the chargesheet filed by the investigating officer and subsequently set dates for charge-framing and other hearings in late May and early June.