High Court upholds death sentences of two convicts in Nusrat Jahan Rafi murder case
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The High Court on Monday upheld the death sentences of two individuals convicted in the high-profile murder case of Feni madrasa student Nusrat Jahan Rafi.
The verdict was delivered by a High Court bench comprising Justice Bhishmadev Chakrabortty and Justice K.M. Rashiduzzaman Raja, following a series of hearings regarding the death reference, as well as the appeals and jail appeals filed by the defendants. The two convicts whose death sentences were upheld are Siraj Ud-Doula, the former principal of Sonagazi Islamia Fazil (Degree) Madrasa, and Shahadat Hossain Shamim.
The case originated from a ruling by the Feni Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal on October 24, 2019, which had sentenced 16 individuals to death, including the former principal.
According to case records, the incident began on March 27, 2019, when Siraj Ud-Doula sexually harassed Nusrat in his office. Following his arrest, pressure was placed on the victim to withdraw the charges. On April 6, 2019, Nusrat was lured to the roof of the madrasa, where her hands and feet were bound before she was doused in kerosene and set on fire. She succumbed to her injuries on April 10 at the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Her brother, Mahmudul Hasan Noman, filed the initial case at Sonagazi Police Station, which was later converted into a murder case.
Following the initial tribunal verdict, the case documents and death reference reached the High Court on October 29, 2019. Given the gravity of the case, it was processed on a priority basis. To expedite the judicial proceedings, the Chief Justice formed a specific bench on June 10, which commenced its work on June 14. Hearings for the case began on July 28 and concluded on August 20, leading to today’s final judgment.
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