High Court to deliver verdict on Nusrat Jahan Rafi murder case on August 24

The High Court has set August 24 as the date for the verdict on the death reference, appeals, and jail appeals concerning the high-profile murder case of Feni madrasa student Nusrat Jahan Rafi. A bench comprising Justice Bhishmadev Chakrabortty and Justice K. M. Rashiduzzaman Raja finalized the date on Thursday following the conclusion of the hearing process.

The High Court bench, specifically assigned by the Chief Justice on June 10 to prioritize cases involving the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act, commenced proceedings on June 14. The hearings for the Nusrat murder case began on July 28.

Representing the state, Attorney General Md. Ruhul Quddus Kajal, Deputy Attorney General Syed Ejaz Kabir, Mohammad Imam Hossain Tareq, and Assistant Attorney Generals Md. Al Amin Siddiqui, Mahbuba Tasnim Akhi, and Mosammat Rohani Siddiqua presented arguments. The defense counsel included senior lawyers Mansurul Haque Chowdhury, S. M. Shahjahan, Mohammad Shishir Monir, Khandaker Mushfiqul Huda, and S. M. Masud Hossain Dolan. Deputy Attorney General Syed Ejaz Kabir confirmed that the court had scheduled the verdict for Monday, noting that all convicted individuals remain in custody.

The case traces back to March 27, 2019, when Siraj Ud-Doula, then-principal of Sonagazi Islamia Fazil (Degree) Madrasa, allegedly sexually harassed Nusrat in his office. Following the filing of a case, the principal was arrested. On April 6, 2019, after refusing to withdraw the charges, Nusrat was lured to the roof of the madrasa, where she was tied up and set on fire. She died on April 10, 2019, while receiving treatment at the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Her brother, Mahmudul Hasan (Noman), filed a case with the Sonagazi Police Station, which was later converted into a murder case.

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On October 24, 2019, the Feni Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal sentenced 16 individuals to death for the murder. The convicted include former principal Siraj Ud-Doula, former Sonagazi Upazila Awami League President Ruhul Amin, municipal councilor Maksudul Alam, teachers Hafez Abdul Kader and Afsar Uddin, and students Nur Uddin, Shahadat Hossain Shamim, Saifur Rahman Mohammad Jobayer, Javed Hossain alias Sakhawat Hossain Javed, Kamrun Nahar Moni, Umme Sultana Popy alias Tuhin, Abdur Rahim Sharif, Iftekhar Uddin Rana, Imran Hossain Mamun, Mohammad Shamim, and Mohi Uddin Shakil.

Following the trial court’s ruling, the case documents were sent to the High Court on October 29, 2019, for death reference confirmation. The case was processed with high priority, and the convicted defendants subsequently filed individual and jail appeals. The court concluded the consolidated hearings today, moving the case into the final verdict phase.