All accused including Tareq, Babar acquitted

The High Court (HC) has overturned the sentence given by a speedy trial tribunal over the 21 August grenade attack and acquitted all accused, including BNP acting chairperson Tarique Rahman and former state minister Lutfozzaman Babar.

A High Court bench of  Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayet Hossain gave the verdict of death reference and appeal on August 21 grenade attack cases on Sunday (1 December)

The cases (death reference, appeal, and jail appeal) were listed as items number 54 and 55 in the cause list for Sunday, defence lawyer Mohammed Shishir Manir said earlier. 

The HC bench concluded a hearing on the death references and appeals of the accused on November 21. 

On that day, the court kept the two cases pending for verdict (CAV). Following this, the two cases were put on the cause list for Sunday for verdict.

The hearing on the death references and appeals of the cases began at the High Court on October 31 this year.

In October 2018, a speedy trial tribunal sentenced 19 people including former state minister for home Lutfuzzaman Babor to death over the 21 August grenade attack on the then opposition party (Awami League) rally in Dhaka in 2004.