Staff Reporter:
The High Court has upheld the death sentences of former Teknaf Police Station OC Pradeep Kumar Das and Inspector Md Liaqat Ali in the murder case of retired army major Sinha Md Rashed Khan.
The court also maintained the life sentences for six other convicts.
The High Court bench of Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman and Justice Md Saghir Hossain delivered the verdict on Thursday.
The convicts now have 30 days to file appeals against the judgment.
Earlier, on 2 June, the High Court had upheld the death sentences of Pradeep and Liaqat in the same case, along with the life terms handed to six other accused. The court also confirmed the order for each of the convicts to pay a Tk50,000 fine. The hearing on the death reference and the appeals filed by the convicts concluded on 29 May.
The six whose life sentences have been upheld are former Teknaf SI Nandadulal Rakshit, constables Rubel Sharma and Sagar Dev, and Baharchhara residents Nurul Amin, Mohammad Ayaj and Md Nizam Uddin.
Major Sinha was shot dead around 9:30pm on 31 July 2020 at a police checkpoint on the Cox’s Bazar–Teknaf Marine Drive in Shamlapur. He was killed by Liaqat Ali, then in charge of the Baharchhara police investigation centre.
Five days after the incident, on 5 August 2020, Sinha’s sister Sharmin Shahriar Ferdous filed a case with the court. On 13 December the same year, RAB submitted a charge sheet against 15 accused, describing the killing as a “planned murder”.
On 31 January 2022, Cox’s Bazar District and Sessions Judge Mohammad Ismail delivered the trial court verdict, sentencing Pradeep and Liaqat to death. SI Nandadulal Rakshit and constables Rubel Sharma and Sagar Dev were sentenced to life imprisonment. Baharchhara residents Nurul Amin, Mohammad Ayaj and Md Nizam Uddin also received life terms. Seven other accused were acquitted.
The case later reached the High Court for death sentence confirmation as part of the mandatory death reference procedure, while the convicted accused lodged appeals from prison.
