Majed seeks mercy: law minister
The Dhaka District and Sessions Judge Court on Wednesday issued a death warrant for retired army officer Abdul Majed, one of the six absconding death-row convicts for killing the country’s founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family members in 1975.
Judge Helal Chowdhury issued the warrant at 1:45pm after showing him arrested in the murder case as prayed by the prosecution.
‘Majed has sought presidential mercy. His opinion has not been sought for appeal as there is no such scope at this stage,’ law minister Anisul Huq told New Age later in the evening.
Additional inspector general of prisons Md Abrar Hossain said that they had forwarded the mercy petition to the home ministry for the president’s response.
In the afternoon, inspector general of prisons AKM Mustafa Kamal Pasha, however, said that Majed would get the opportunity to file appeal.
Court assistant Komal Krisna Das reached Dhaka Central Jail at Keraniganj at 3:30pm with the death warrant and the case’s verdict in a sealed envelope wrapped in red clothes.
Majed was placed before the court on the day following its order. As no lawyer appeared for him, the judge asked his name and him present and permanent addresses to crosscheck the information also mentioned in the case document. Earlier, the Supreme Court cancelled the leave for the court of district judge Helal Chowdhury.
The judge, his court officers and employees were on leave due to public holiday announced by the government to slow the spread of coronavirus.
Their leaves were cancelled only for a day to deal with the Mujib murder case, SC spokesman Mohammad Saifur Rahman told reporters in a message.
On Tuesday the court of chief metropolitan magistrate AM Zulfiqar Hayat, sent Majed to the Dhaka Central Jail after he was arrested in Dhaka on early Tuesday.
On April 30, 2001, the High Court upheld death sentences for Majed and 11 convicts, and acquitted three others.
On January 28, 2010, the jail authorities hanged five of the 12 convicts after the Appellate Division dismissed the appeals and review petitions filed by the five convicts.
Meanwhile the Awami League on Wednesday demanded immediate implementation of the death sentence for Abdul Majed.
Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader placed the demand in a written statement as he was now staying at home for COVID-19 outbreak.
News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net
