HC to hear Oishee’s plea against death penalty

The High Court on Monday accepted for hearing the petition filed by condemned convict Oishee Rahman against the tribunal verdict that sentenced her to death for killing her parents--police officer Mahfuzur Rahman and his wife Swapna Rahman--in 2013, reports news agency UNB.

The court also stayed the order for the payment of 20,000 fine until the appeal is disposed of.

An HC bench comprising Justice Moazzem Hossain and Justice Md Badruzzaman passed the order.

“I told the court that Oishee’s DNA test for determining her age was done in a proper way. Now, hearing on the death reference and the appeal will be held simultaneously,” Oishee’s lawyer Sujit Chaterjee told reporters.

On Sunday, Advocate Mahbub Hossain Rana, a counsel of Oishee, filed the appeal on behalf of her with the High Court seeking acquittal from the charges brought against her and challenging the trial procedure in the petition.

Earlier, on 12 November, Judge Syed Ahmed of the Speedy Trial Tribunal-3 sentenced Oishee Rahman to death for killing her parents.

Later, the relevant documents reached the ‘death reference’ section of the HC on 19 November.

The tribunal also fined her Tk 20,000.

Besides, the tribunal sentenced Mizanur Rahman Rony to two years’ imprisonment and fined him Tk 5,000, in default, to suffer one month more jail while acquitted Asaduzzaman Johny.

On 6 August, 2013, police recovered the bodies of SB Inspector Mahfuzur Rahman and his wife Swapna Rahman from their Chamelibagh residence in the capital.

Later, Oishee surrendered to police confessing to her involvement in the killing.