Dhaka, Sep 04 (V7N) – The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has upheld the acquittal of BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman and former State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfuzzaman Babar, along with others accused in the August 21, 2004 grenade attack case.

On Thursday, a six-member bench led by Chief Justice Syed Refat Ahmed dismissed the state’s appeal against the High Court verdict that overturned the convictions handed down by the trial court.

The High Court’s verdict on December 1, 2024, had acquitted the accused in both the murder case and the explosives case, rejecting the earlier trial court judgment that had sentenced several of them to severe punishments.

Following the publication of the full High Court verdict, the state filed separate leave-to-appeal petitions, which were granted on June 1 this year. The Appellate Division began hearings on July 17, continuing on July 19, 20, 31, and August 21, before setting September 4 for the final verdict.

During the hearings, the state argued that the trial court’s convictions were proper and should be reinstated, while the defense urged the court to uphold the High Court’s acquittal.

Deputy Attorney General Abdullah Al Mahmud, Assistant Attorney General Abu Sadat Md. Sayem Bhuiyan, and Sadia Afrin represented the state. Senior lawyers SM Shahjahan and Shishir Monir appeared for the defense.

The August 21 grenade attack on an Awami League rally in 2004 left 24 people dead and hundreds injured, including top leaders. It remains one of the deadliest political attacks in Bangladesh’s history.

END/SMA/AJ