No legal bar in executing killers of prof Taher: Deputy attorney general
Deputy attorney general (DAG) Nowroj Mohammad Russel Chowdhury on Monday said there is no legal bar in carrying out the execution of two convicted killers of Rajshahi University professor S Taher Ahmed, reports BSS.
The state counsel said these as the High Court today dismissed a writ petition filed by convict Jahangir Alam for staying his execution.
A High Court division bench comprising Justice Bhishmadev Chakraborty and Justice Md Ali Reza passed the order after holding hearing on the plea.
"Now there is no legal bar in carrying out their execution. The court while passing its order today, said, as the Appellate Division has scrapped the plea for reviewing its judgment, there is no need to hear this plea," DAG Chowdhury said.
The Appellate Division on 2 March, 2023, dismissed a petition seeking review of the apex court order that upheld death sentence of former associate professor Rajshahi University Mia Mohammad Mohiuddin and former caretaker of Taher's house, Jahangir Alam.
The apex court on 14 September, 2022, published the 68-page verdict upholding the death sentence of two convicts, Rajshahi University teacher Miah Mohammad Mohiuddin and then caretaker of professors S Taher's residence Jahangir Alam. The apex court also upheld sentence of life imprisonment of Abdus Salam and Nazmul Alam.
S Taher Ahmed, professor of Geology and Mining at the Rajshahi University, was killed on 1 February, 2006 and police recovered his body from a septic tank behind his residence on the university campus on 3 February the same year. His son Sanjid Alvi Ahmed filed the case with Motihar police station on the same day.
Rajshahi Speedy Trial Tribunal on 22 May, 2008, sentenced the four accused to death and acquitted two others. The High Court, after holding hearing on the death reference and appeals of the convicts, upheld the verdict of the lower court.
The court however, commuted the death sentences of Jahangir's brother Md Abdus Salam and brother-in-law Md Nazmul.
On 22 February, 2022, the apex court started hearing on the appeals filed by the convicts challenging the HC verdict against them. The Appellate Division on 5 April, 2022, upheld the High Court verdict.