Official sources in the Law Ministry yesterday said the speedy trial tribunals disposed of about 650 sensational cases, including Buet student Sony murder case, college student Bushra and school student Trisha rape and murder cases.

A total of 655 convicts for capital punishment are now huddling in 53 condemned cells of various prisons in the country.

Law Minister Moudud Ahmed said that the present government has brought an epoch-making progress in the judicial system by setting up the speedy trial tribunals.

"The sensational cases, including Buet student Sony murder case and Trisha murder case are being disposed of within a very short period in the speedy trial tribunals. The government has achieved a tremendous success through establishing the tribunals. Besides, the government is trying to make other courts vibrant in disposing of the cases, particularly the sensational and important cases," he said.

Sources said a total of 31 death sentences have been executed till date after the independence of the country.

A total of 56 death reference cases, including Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman murder case, have been filed in the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court from 2001 till June 30. The Appellate Division has so far disposed of only 25 cases, but it could not dispose of any death reference case this year, sources said.

According to the sources, the speedy trial tribunals and sessions judges' courts in last four years have given 434 people death sentences. Of them, the speedy trial tribunals sentenced 311 people and the sessions judges' courts 123 people to death.

The government has been trying to increase the number of condemned cells for the capital punishment awardees, Moudud added.

Sources said 22 people were sent to gallows from May 2001 to June 2005. Of them, one was in 2001, two were in 2002, two in 2003, 13 in 2004 and four in 2005.

A total of 221 people have been sentenced to death by different courts till 2001 since independence. On the other hand, 80 people were given death sentence in 2002, 162 in 2003, 112 in 2004 and 80 this year, sources said.

Supreme Court sources said the death reference of Bangabandhu murder case in which 12 accused were convicted was filed in the Supreme Court 2001. The case cannot be disposed of for want of bench.

There are three benches in the High Court for hearing the death references but those cannot regularly hear the death references due to lack of paper books, sources said.