The High Court has accepted the jail appeals for hearing from two death-row convicts, Sohel Rana and Swapna Khatun, in connection with the rape and brutal murder of 8-year-old child Ramisa in Dhaka’s Mirpur.
On Sunday, a High Court bench comprising Justice Mohammad Ali and Justice Md Saifullah Islam passed the order. Attorney General Barrister Ruhul Quddus Kazal represented the state during the proceedings.
The convicts, Sohel Rana and Swapna Khatun, had submitted their appeals through the prison authorities on 11 June.
Earlier, on 9 June, the death reference containing all trial records reached the High Court. This follows a verdict delivered on 7 June by Judge Masrur Salekin of the Dhaka Metropolitan Child Repression Prevention Tribunal, who sentenced both accused to death.
In addition to the capital punishment, the tribunal fined Sohel Tk5 lakh and Swapna Tk2 lakh, directing that the amount be paid to Ramisa’s legal heirs. The court further ordered the collectorate office to seize and sell the convicts’ movable and immovable property to ensure payment to the heirs if the fines are not settled.
According to the case details, child Ramisa was victimised by sexual assault and a brutal killing on the morning of 19 May in a neighbour’s rented flat. The victim’s father, Abdul Hannan Mollah, filed a case the following day at Pallabi Police Station.
The police concluded the investigation swiftly, submitting a charge sheet to the court on 24 May.
The tribunal accepted the charges and sent the case for trial on the same day. Formal charges were framed against Sohel and his wife Swapna on 1 June, and the court recorded the testimonies of 16 out of 18 witnesses the very next day.
