Security beefed on SC premises ahead of Nizami’s review plea verdict

The government beefed up security in the Supreme Court area this morning ahead of the verdict on war criminal Motiur Rahman Nizami’s petition seeking review of the SC judgement that upheld his death penalty for wartime crimes.

A four-member bench of the Appellate Division, headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, is scheduled to pass the order today.

On Tuesday, the bench concluded the hearing on the petition and fixed today for passing the order.

The other judges of the bench are Justice Nazmun Ara Sultana, Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain and Justice Hasan Foez Siddique.

The review petition of Nizami tops the day's cause-list of the apex court bench.

The International Crimes Tribunal-1 on October 29, 2014 had handed down death penalty to Nizami, ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami, on four charges of war crimes, including murder of intellectuals. The 71-year-old was also awarded life imprisonment on four other charges.

The SC on January 6 this year upheld his death sentence on three charges and life imprisonment on two other charges. The ICT issued the death warrant against him on March 15, hours after the SC had released its full verdict.

On March 29, Nizami filed the petition with the SC seeking review of its January 6 judgment.