Attorney general: Decision on August 21 grenade attack case verdict after review

Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman has said that a decision on appealing the High Court's verdict in the August 21 grenade attack case will be made after reviewing the judgment's rationale and directives.

When asked whether an appeal would be filed, the attorney general told media: "We will decide after examining the reasons and directives in the verdict. I believe an appeal is necessary."

On Sunday, the High Court declared the trial conducted under the supplementary charge sheet invalid and overturned the lower court’s judgment.

The High Court bench, consisting of Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayet Hossain, dismissed the death reference and granted the appeals of the accused, acquitting all convicts, including BNP’s Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman and former state minister for home affairs Lutfozzaman Babar.

The same bench had concluded hearings on the death reference and appeals on November 21 and reserved the cases for verdict.

The judgment was delivered on Sunday.

The grenade attack on August 21, 2004, at Bangabandhu Avenue in Dhaka, led to a murder case and an explosives case.

On October 10, 2018, Dhaka’s Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 sentenced 19 individuals, including Lutfozzaman Babar and former deputy minister for education Abdus Salam Pintu, to death.

Another 19, including Tarique Rahman, were sentenced to life imprisonment, while 11 others received various prison terms and fines.