Verdicts in three to four cases, pending with the International Criminal Tribunal over the killings during the July uprising, are expected by October, said Law Adviser Prof Asif Nazrul.

The accused in the cases include deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, top Awami League leaders, several police and admin officials, the adviser told a press conference at the Secretariat yesterday.

He also expressed doubts over India complying to Bangladesh's request to extradite Hasina.

Nazrul stated that given India's current stance, it appears that the country will try to reject the request on various pretexts.

He mentioned that India has been asked to return Hasina under the extradition treaty between the two countries.

Responding to a question on the issue, he said, "Our law [the International Crimes Tribunal Act] has a provision for the trial of fugitives. Even in cases of murder, such provisions exist. We are making every effort to bring her back."

Nazrul stated that over 300 complaints have been lodged with the ICT. Of those, 16 cases have been filed formally after the prosecution team scrutinised the complaints. Investigations into four cases are expected to be completed this month. After that, the trial process will begin. The verdicts in the cases are expected by October, he added.

It will take one year to complete the whole trial process of an ICT case whereas it took at least two and a half years on average to finish the trial process of an ICT case when the Awami League was in power, he added.

Mentioning about the cases of "speech offences", Nazrul said 396 such cases were under trial during the rule of the AL government, of which 332 have already been withdrawn.

Besides, 61 cases are set for withdrawal, but the remaining three are pending due to a stay order from the High Court, he said.

Cases involving speech offences under the Cyber Security Act were filed due to expression of opinions.

About "ghost cases", the adviser said 1,214 ghost and politically motivated cases filed during the past 15 years of Awami League government would be withdrawn within a week.

He added that of the cases, gazette notifications withdrawing 53 cases will be issued within a day or two.

Prof Nazrul said the interim government has prepared a list of 16,439 ghost and politically motivated cases for withdrawal.

Meanwhile at another programme in Rajarbagh, the adviser stressed the importance of maintaining law and order during the challenging times, urging caution when granting bail in serious criminal cases, particularly those linked to the July massacre.

Nazrul highlighted the risks of releasing accused of serious crimes, warning that some might exploit their freedom to disrupt the justice system.