Dhaka: Hearing on the appeals of death-row convicts BNP leader Salauddin Quader Chowdhury and Jamaat assistant secretary general Ali Ahsan Muhammad Mujahid will be held on 28 April.

A four-member appellate division bench headed by chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha at about 9:00am on Wednesday fixed the date for hearing as the defendants’ counsels submitted a time petition.

The other members of the bench are Justice Nazmun Ara Sultana, Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, and Justice
Hassan Foyez Siddique.

The convicts’ lawyer, Khandakar Mahbub Hossain asked the court to rescheduled the date of hearing after 20 May as he would participate in the bar council election to be held on 20 May.

The prosecution lawyer, attorney general Mahbube Alam urged the court to begin the trial as soon as possible.

Convicts’ lawyer advocate Shishir Monir told NTV Online, ‘The cases were placed in the cause list of appellate division, but it was rescheduled as we appealed for time’.

International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) 1 on 1 October 2013 ruled that Salauddin Quader Chowdhury should be put to death for his crimes during the War of Independence in 1971. The tribunal found Salauddin guilty on nine of 23 charges of crimes against humanity during the War in 1971.

On 29 October, Salauddin Quader Chowdhury submitted appeal against the verdict and sought release from the charges.

On 17 July 2013, ICT handed over death sentence to Jamaat leader Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid for killing journalists, teachers, intellectuals during the War of Independence.

Mujahid’s lawyer placed appeal plea against the verdict on 11 August 2013.