Professor Taher murder: SC rejects review appeal

The Appellate Division has rejected an appeal to review the Supreme Court’s verdict upholding death penalty of two accused and life time imprisonment to another in a case filed for the murder of S Taher Ahmed, a professor of geology and mining department at Rajshahi University.

An eight-member Appellate Division led by chief justice Hasan Foez Siddique gave the order on Thursday morning.

The Appellate Division on 5 April last year passed the order upholding death penalty of Mohammad Mohiuddin and Jahangir and life time imprisonment to Salam and Nazmul for the murder of professor Taher Ahmed.

Mohammad Mohiuddin was a student and later a colleague of professor Taher Ahmed while Jahangir was the caretaker of the slain teacher’s residence.

The Appellate Division published the full verdict on 15 September last year. Following this, Mohiuddin and Jahangir separately appeal for review of the verdict.

The body of professor Taher Ahmed was recovered from a manhole outside of the teachers’ quarters of Rajshahi University on 3 February 2006. The teacher’s son filed a case at Motihar police station for this.

The trial court gave its verdict on 2 May 2008 awarding death penalty to four accused and acquitted two.

The accused appealed against the verdict with the High Court that passed its verdict on 21 April 2013. The court upheld the death sentence of Mohiuddin and Jahangir and commuted the death sentence of Salam and Nazmul to life time imprisonment.