SC to hear govt plea for early hearing on April 3

The Supreme Court yesterday fixed April 3 for dealing with a government application that prayed for early hearing on war criminal Motiur Rahman Nizami's review petition.

Earlier in the day, the government filed the application, urging the apex court to set a date for hearing and disposal of Nizami's petition seeking review of its judgement that upheld his death penalty and other sentences for his crimes against humanity during the Liberation War in 1971.

After a brief hearing, Chamber Judge of the Appellate Division of the SC Justice Mirza Hussain Haider sent the application to its full bench and fixed April 3 for its hearing.

Deputy Attorney General Ekramul Haque Tutul told The Daily Star that the Appellate Division on April 3 might fix a date for hearing Nizami's review petition.

On March 29, convicted war criminal and Jamaat-e-Islami ameer Nizami filed the review petition through his lawyers, praying to the apex court to acquit him of all the charges on which he was found guilty.

Nizami mentioned 46 grounds in the 70-page petition.

On October 29, 2014, the International Crimes Tribunal-1 handed down the death penalty to Nizami on four charges of war crimes, including murdering intellectuals. The 71-year-old was also awarded life imprisonment on the four other charges.

The SC on January 6 this year upheld his death sentence on three charges and life imprisonment on two other charges.

On March 15, the apex court released the full verdict. The ICT issued death warrant for him hours after the SC had released its full verdict.

The following day, the jail authorities read out the judgment before the convict.