Supreme Court Upholds Acquittal of All Defendants in 2004 August 21 Grenade Attack Case

Today marks the 22nd anniversary of the deadly grenade attack on Bangabandhu Avenue—currently renamed Shaheed Abrar Fahad Avenue—which occurred on August 21, 2004. The attack, targeting a rally led by then-opposition leader Sheikh Hasina, resulted in the deaths of 24 people, including Awami League leader Ivy Rahman, and left over a hundred activists injured.

The legal proceedings following the attack reached a final conclusion on September 4, 2025, when a six-member Appellate Division bench, led by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, unanimously upheld the acquittal of all accused individuals. The court dismissed the state’s appeal, thereby maintaining the High Court’s December 1, 2024, ruling that had overturned the convictions previously handed down by the trial court in 2018.

In its judgment, the Appellate Division affirmed that the High Court’s decision to grant the appeals of the accused and set aside the trial court’s sentences was legally sound. The bench stated that upon reviewing the evidence, circumstantial factors, and legal merits, it found no flaws or irregularities in the High Court’s ruling. Furthermore, the Supreme Court retracted the High Court’s previous observation that suggested the Ministry of Home Affairs initiate a fresh, independent investigation into the incident.

The legal battle originated from two cases filed under the murder and explosives acts at Motijheel Police Station. Initial investigations faced significant controversy, prompting a fresh probe during the caretaker government period in 2007. By 2008, the Criminal Investigation Department had submitted charge sheets against 22 individuals. Following the Awami League’s rise to power in 2009, a supplementary charge sheet was filed on July 3, 2011, naming 30 additional suspects, including Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairperson Tarique Rahman.

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On October 10, 2018, the Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 issued its verdict, sentencing 19 individuals, including former State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfozzaman Babar, to death. Another 19, including Tarique Rahman, were sentenced to life imprisonment, while 11 others received varying prison terms and fines.

However, the High Court later declared the judicial process based on the supplementary charge sheets to be unlawful. This resulted in the total acquittal of all defendants, a decision that remains final following the Appellate Division’s confirmation.