Ahsanulla Master murder case
SC stays acquittal of 11
STAFF REPORTER
The Supreme Court yesterday stayed until July 14 a part of the High Court verdict that had acquitted 11 persons, who were earlier convicted by the trial court in the Gazipur MP Ahsanullah Master murder case. In response to a government plea, the Chamber Judge of the Appellate Division Justice Hasan Faoez Siddique passed the order. The chamber judge also sent the stay petition to the full bench of the Appellate Division and fixed July 14 for a hearing on the petition.
Earlier, on June 20, the government filed separate petitions with the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the HC order that acquitted 11 persons of Ahsanullah Master killing charges. In a verdict on June 15, the HC upheld the death sentences of six persons, who were convicted by the trial court of involvement in the murder of Awami League (AL) leader Ahsanullah Master, MP in 2004. The HC bench of Justice Obaidul Hassan and Justice Krishna Debnath further sentenced nine convicts to life imprisonment while acquitted 11 others in the case.
Ahsanullah Master, a popular Gazipur politician and also the then president of Jatiya Sramik League, and a young man, Omar Faruq Ratan, were gunned down at a biennial conference of Awami Shechchhasebak League at Noagaon in Tongi in May 2004. As many as 17 others were injured in the shooting.
