Supreme Court adjourns Ahsanullah Master murder appeal hearing to August 11

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has adjourned the hearing on appeals regarding the 2004 murder of former Gazipur-2 Member of Parliament Ahsan Ullah Master until August 11. A four-member bench led by Chief Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury conducted the second day of proceedings on Sunday before scheduling the next session for the coming week.

The legal proceedings stem from a high-profile case dating back to May 7, 2004, when Ahsan Ullah Master was gunned down at the Noagaon M.A. Majid Miah High School grounds in Gazipur. A prominent Awami League leader, former national council member, and senior official of the Jatiya Sramik League, he had previously served as the Gazipur Upazila Chairman and was twice elected to parliament.

Following a 2005 verdict by the Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal, 22 individuals were sentenced to death and six were handed life imprisonment. The High Court later delivered its judgment on June 15, 2016, upholding the death sentences for six defendants, including BNP leader Nurul Islam Sarkar, while commuting the death sentences of seven others to life imprisonment. Seven additional defendants were acquitted, and the cases against two others were deemed resolved following their deaths while in custody.

Following the release of the full High Court text in September 2016, the convicted parties filed appeals and petitions for leave to appeal. Concurrently, the state sought leave to appeal against the acquittals. After an initial session on July 28, the Appellate Division continued reviewing the case files on Sunday.

Additional Attorney General Mohammad Abdul Jabbar Bhuiyan confirmed that defense counsel presented arguments from the case paper books during the session. The defense team featured senior lawyers S.M. Shahjahan, Helal Uddin Molla, and Syed Mizanur Rahman, while the state was represented by Additional Attorney General Mohammad Abdul Jabbar Bhuiyan and Deputy Attorney General Md. Obaidur Rahman. The court is expected to resume its review of the case on August 11.