Court to Deliver Verdict in Ramisa Rape-Murder Case on June 7

A Dhaka court has scheduled 7 June for delivering its verdict in the widely discussed rape and murder case of child Ramisa Akter in Pallabi, Mirpur.

Judge Masrur Salekin of the Dhaka Metropolitan Children’s Violence Suppression Tribunal fixed the date on Thursday (4 June) after hearing the final arguments from both the prosecution and the defence.

The proceedings have moved swiftly since charges were framed against the two accused, Sohel Rana and his wife, Swapna Akter, on 1 June.

On the following day, the tribunal recorded the testimonies of 16 out of the 18 witnesses named in the charge sheet.

During the defence hearing on Wednesday, both accused pleaded not guilty. Earlier, on 24 May, the tribunal accepted the charge sheet submitted against them. The investigation officer, Sub-Inspector Ahiduzzaman of Pallabi Police Station, filed the charge sheet with the court of Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Ashraful Haque, which subsequently transferred the case to the specialised tribunal for trial.

The prosecution has cited 17 witnesses in the case. The upcoming verdict is expected to bring one of the most closely followed criminal trials of recent months to a close.