Taking cognizance of a media report, the High Court today ordered a lower court to dispose of a 32-year-old murder case within three months.

Sima Mohammadi, 20, was allegedly hacked to death by a youth, identified as Amin, in her house in the Jagannath Road area of Old Dhaka on April 26, 1988, according to the newspaper report.

Amin allegedly committed the crime as the woman had turned down his marriage proposal, police investigations revealed.

Expressing concern over the unprecedented delay in deciding the case, a bench of Justices M Enayetur Rahim and Md Mostafizur Rahman has threatened to take action against the lower court judges if they fail to dispose of the case by the first week of January.

"Action will be taken against the judges [of the lower court] if they fail to dispose of the case within three months," the HC said. The bench has also sought a progress report, post implementation of its order.

The case proceedings were delayed frequently after charges had been framed in 2001 "due to the negligence of the investigating officer and a physician who conducted the post-mortem examination", the report said.

The physician never appeared before the court for giving his testimony, despite arrest warrants having been issued against him, according to the report that was produced before the HC by advocates Ishrat Hasan and Jamiul Haque Faisal.