DHAKA, Dec 11: Bangladesh’s top court will today decide the fate of senior Jamaat-e-Islami leader Abdul Quader Mollah after his execution was dramatically stayed late last night in a last-minute reprieve.
The Supreme Court will hear the review petition of Mollah today after defence counsels last night submitted the review petition to the chamber judge against the verdict of the apex court that sentenced Mollah to death for committing crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War.
A five-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Mohammad Muzammel Hossain passed the order over a petition filed by Mollah, the Daily Star reported.
The execution of the death penalty of Mollah was stayed less than two hours before he was set to be hanged for 1971 war crimes.
“The Chamber judge of the Appellate Division (of the Supreme Court), Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, ordered suspension of the execution of the death penalty until 10:30 am tomorrow,” Supreme Court Registrar AKM Shamsul Islam told reporters late last night.
The stay order came as jail officials prepared to hang Mollah, 65, at one minute past midnight. The family members of the death row convict met him for the last time earlier this evening.
Mollah’s counsel rushed to Dhaka Central Jail with a copy of the stay order issued at 10:15 pm (local time).
The order was issued after Mollah’s lawyers filed a plea seeking the hearing of their petition for a review of the apex court’s judgement that handed down the death penalty to the Jammat leader.
Mollah’s lawyers said they obtained the stay order on their petition claiming that the government took preparations to execute Mollah “without finishing all legal procedures”.
“The chief justice (early) this morning ordered formulation of a supplementary cause list to accommodate the hearing of the (Mollah’s) plea at the court,” a Supreme Court official said.
The jail authorities said they had received the stay order.
The war crimes tribunal sentenced Mollah to life imprisonment on February 5 for his atrocities during Bangladesh’s liberation War. The Appellate Division revised the verdict on September 17 and raised it to death penalty.
Based on the highest court’s verdict, the tribunal issued the death warrant for Mollah. (PTI)
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