Conclude argument today
SC tells SQ Chy lawyers
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court (SC) yesterday asked Salauddin Quader Chowdhurys defence counsel to complete their argument by today on the appeal filed by the death row convict against the sentence of capital punishment pronounced by the tribunal for wartime offences.
The four-member bench of the Appellate Division, headed by Chief Justice SK Sinha, yesterday asked defence lawyer SM Shahjahan to complete his argument within an hour today morning.
The apex court may fix a date to pass its order on the appeal after completion of the defence argument today, Shahjahan said. During yesterdays hearing, Shahjahan told the apex court that most of the prosecution witnesses have made false statements before the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) against his client. The prosecution witnesses gave hearsay statements against Salauddin before the tribunal. Such hearsay statements are not reliable since they do not corroborate each other, he stated. The prosecution witnesses statements should be cancelled, considering this legal point, and his client should be acquitted of all charges, Shahjahan argued.
On October 1, 2013, the International Crimes Tribunal-1 found Salauddin Chowdhury guilty of nine out of 23 charges of crimes against humanity committed during the 1971 Liberation War.
