 The High Court (HC) yesterday granted government application seeking preparation of the 'paper book' on a priority basis for hearing of the death reference in the verdict on Jhalakathi judges killing case.
| Important safety tip for would-be terrorists: If you're gonna kill somebody, don't kill a judge. They take it personally. |
A Jhalakathi court awarded death penalty to seven militant leaders including Abdur Rahman and Siddiqul Islam alias Bangla Bhai. A division bench of the HC granted the application as the Attorney General's (AG) office moved it since the government wants quick disposal of cases, especially death references concerning militants. Explaining the urgency of preparing the paper book in its application, the government said, "For the national security, national interest, peace, tranquillity and smooth running of all the organs of the state including the judiciary, preparation of the paper book is very important.'
| "Smooth running of the state" is a relative term in Bangla, of course... |
Following the HC order, Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Md Helal Uddin Mollah, who moved the application, told newsmen, " I hope if everything goes smoothly, we will be able to prepare the paper book and submit it before the court for hearing within a month." The whole nation and the world want quick disposal of this case. So, it cannot be compared with other murder cases like the ones for land disputes etc, he stressed. The DAG said preparation of paper books for hearing of death references of different cases of 2003 now going on. If the paper book for the Jhalakathi case is prepared as in other common cases, then it will come up for HC hearing in 2009.
| Wouldn't that seem to imply there's something wrong with the Bangla judicial system? |
Over 500 cases are now awaiting paper book preparation and death reference hearing, he mentioned. So it will take several years for hearing of death reference of Jhalakathi case, he said. The Jhalakathi Speedy Trial Tribunal on May 29 sentenced to death Abdur Rahman, Bangla Bhai, Ataur Rahman Sunny, Abdul Awal, Khaled Saifullah, Asadur Rahman Arif and Iftekhar Hasan Al Mamun for killing two judges -- Sohel Ahmed and Jagannath Pande.
| Sounds like the Speedy Trial Tribunal's supposed to be followed by the Speedy Execution Team. |
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