The Ramna bomb attack case is still pending in the High Court

It has been 22 years since the bomb blast at Ramana Botamule. But the murder case filed in this incident has not been finalized yet. Even after 9 years of the judgment of the trial court, the appeal in the high court is still pending. The main accused in the case, Mufti Hannan, was hanged in another case, but the punishment of the other accused could not be executed as the Ramna bomb attack was not resolved.

According to the sources of High Court and Attorney General's office, the death reference (sanction of death sentence) of eight accused in Ramana bomb attack murder case was on the agenda of several benches of the High Court of Appeal. But the case was not settled after the hearing. The Ramana bomb attack case was last on November 2, 2021 in the High Court bench of Justice Krishna Debnath and Justice KM Zahid Sarwar Kajol. On that day, the High Court bench dropped the case from the agenda. The case file is now in the death reference wing of the High Court. Now, if the Chief Justice wants, he can refer Ramana bombing case appeal and death reference to a new criminal bench.

Advocate Mohammad Shishir Monir said that we are ready for the hearing. The case came up for hearing of death references and appeals of the accused in three benches of the High Court. However, the hearing was not completed in any bench. Now if the Chief Justice appoints a new bench, the hearing will begin. He urged the state party to take the initiative of hearing the appeal and death reference as soon as possible.

Deputy Attorney General Shaheen Ahmed Khan, the lawyer of the state concerned in this case, was last on November 2, 2021 Ramna bomb attack case was on the agenda of the high court bench of Justice Krishna Debnath and Justice KM Zahid Sarwar Kajol. When the senior judge of the bench is appointed to the Appellate Division, the records of the case go to the office of the Chief Justice. The case will be heard if the Chief Justice appoints a new bench of the High Court. According to state sources, the case will be presented to the Chief Justice after Eid after the ongoing vacation of the Supreme Court for setting a bench for hearing.

In January 2017, the appeal and death reference of the case reached its final stage in a bench of the High Court. But the bench of the High Court dropped the case from the agenda due to repeated delays by the state party. After that, the case was listed for hearing in two more benches of the High Court, but the discussed case was not heard.

According to the details of the case, the verdict has been given in the case of murder in connection with the bomb attack at the Bengali New Year ceremony. Almost 13 years after that attack on June 23, 2014. In the verdict, the court sentenced eight people including Mufti Abdul Hannan, the top leader of the banned militant organization Harkatul Jihad Bangladesh (Huji-B), to death and six to life imprisonment.

In the same year, Maulana Tajuddin, Hafez Jahangir Alam, Mufti Shafiqur Rahman, Mufti Abdul Hai, Maulana Abu Bakar and Arif Hasan alias Sumon filed a criminal appeal in the High Court against the verdict of the judicial court.

Besides, Mufti Abdul Hannan, Maulana Akbar Hossain alias Helal Uddin, Arif Hasan alias Suman filed jail appeals.

On April 14, 2001, 10 people were killed and several others were injured in a bomb attack on the New Year celebrations in Ramana Botmule. 9 people died on the spot. They are Al-Mamun Hossain, Riazul Islam, Jannatul Ferdous Shilpi, Abul Kalam Azad, Mohammad Jasim Uddin, Mohammad Emran Hossain, Asim Chandra Sarkar, Ismail Hossain Swapan and Ansar Ali. One was not identified. In this incident, the police filed a case at Ramna police station. On November 19, 2006, after Mufti Abdul Hannan gave a confessional statement under section 164 in this case, the incident unfolded. During the tenure of the former caretaker government supported by the army, the investigation of this case gained momentum. On November 29, 2008, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) filed two charge sheets in the court indicting 14 people including Mufti Hannan. One is murder and the other is under the Explosives Control Act.

Among the 14 accused who received death sentence in the murder case are Mufti Hannan, Maulana Akbar Hossain alias Helal Uddin, Arif Hasan alias Sumon alias Abdur Razzak, Mufti Shafiqur Rahman, Mufti Abdul Hai, Maulana Abu Bakar alias Hafez Salim Hawladar, Maulana Tajuddin (former deputy minister Abdus Salam). Pintur's brother) and Hafez Jahangir Alam alias Ustad Jahangir Badr. The first four of them are in jail and the last four are absconding. The court sentenced the other six accused to life imprisonment in the murder case. The six accused in jail are Hafez Abu Taher, Maulana Sabbir alias Abdul Hannan, Hafez Yahya, Maulana Shawkat Osman alias Sheikh Farid, Maulana Abdur Rauf and Shahadat Ullah alias Jewel.

A case under the Explosives Control Act in the same incident is still pending in the lower court. Testimony of 54 out of 84 people has been completed in this case under trial in the Seventh Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court of Dhaka. The defense hearing date is scheduled for May 17 in the case.

Mufti Hannan, the main accused in the Ramana murder case, has been executed in the case of the attack on former British High Commissioner Anwar Chowdhury.