The High Court has overturned the death sentence handed down to a husband in a high-profile dowry murder case and acquitted him, citing multiple inconsistencies in the prosecution’s case.
A High Court bench comprising Justice Bhishmadev Chakrabortty and Justice KM Rasheduzzaman Raja dismissed the death reference and allowed the accused’s appeal on Sunday.
The victim’s brother filed a case at Uttara West Police Station on 8 August 2015, alleging that his sister Sonia was strangled to death by her husband, Mashiur Rahman Sukhon, over a demand for Tk25 lakh in dowry. Sonia had died earlier, on 25 July 2015.
On 31 March 2019, Dhaka Women and Children Abuse Suppression Tribunal-9 sentenced Sukhon to death. The case was sent to the High Court for confirmation, and the accused filed appeals.
Lawyer Md Ehsan Habib, who represented the accused, said the case had multiple inconsistencies. He noted that the case was filed 13 days after Sonia’s death.
The lawyer said although a doctor confirmed Sonia’s death and issued a death certificate, the doctor was not made a witness. There were also discrepancies in the autopsy report, he claimed.
Habib further said after Sonia’s death, she was buried at her father’s home in a normal manner. Only 13 days later did the family file a murder case alleging dowry demands.
“Sufficient evidence to support the allegation was not established before the court,” he said.
Deputy Attorney General Syed Ejaz Kabir represented the state in the appeal hearing. The High Court’s verdict effectively ends the legal battle that had been ongoing since 2015, with the accused now cleared of all charges.
