It will also fight to defend the HC verdict on August 29, 2005, that declared the fifth amendment to the constitution illegal and unconstitutional for endorsing power takeover by late president Ziaur Rahman and all the activities since August 15, 1975.
After the SC gave verdict in the Bangabandhu murder case on Thursday, the government now even plans to complete the hearing on its five appeals against the August 28, 2008, HC verdict in the jail killing case within December.
The attorney general's office filed the leave-to-appeal petitions on behalf of the government with the apex court on September 14 this year: four of the appeals against the acquittal of four army personnel with life term and another against the acquittal of two sentenced to death.
Attorney General Mahbubey Alam yesterday told The Daily Star that his next target is to get the HC verdict in the jail killing case cancelled since the verdict was not correct.
"The nation wants the killers of the four national leaders to be punished. My office will approach the Supreme Court in the first week of December for holding hearing on the appeals in the case," he said.
He said the appeals pointed out many grounds upon which the SC can rescind the HC verdict. There is evidence that the acquitted army men had plotted the killing of the four leaders in jail, he added.
The HC delivered its verdict disbelieving the statements of almost all the witnesses who said the accused persons were directly involved in the killing of the four national leaders inside Dhaka Central Jail, Mahbubey Alam explained.
The HC judgment accepted the allegations against only one accused--Risaldar (retd) Muslemuddin, who is still on the run--and upheld his death sentence, he said.
"We have confidence in the apex court, and we believe we will get justice there," he added.
The acquitted army men include Lt Col (dismissed) Syed Farooq-ur Rahman, Lt Col (retd) Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, Major (retd) AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed and Major (retd) Bazlul Huda.
The HC in the verdict in the jail killing case also acquitted Dafadar (dismissed) Marfat Ali Shah and Dafadar (dismissed) Abdul Hashem Mridha who were sentenced to death by a trial court while Farooq, Shahriar, Huda and Muhiuddin Ahmed were given life imprisonment.
Marfat Ali and Abdul Hashem are fugitives, while Farooq, Shahriar, Huda, Muhiuddin Ahmed and AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed, whose death sentence in Bangabandhu murder case was confirmed by the Supreme Court on Thursday, are now behind bars.
The attorney general said after the disposal of the jail killing case, his office would fight for defending the HC verdict regarding the fifth amendment to the constitution as BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain and three lawyers filed two separate leave-to-appeal petitions with the SC to overturn the HC verdict on June 25 this year.
source:daily star
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