HC acquits 4 death convicts in gang rape case

Staff Reporter :
The High Court on Tuesday acquitted four people who got death sentence in the trial court in connection with a case filed on the charge of the gang-raping a housewife in Kamalnagar upazila of Lakshmipur district in 2014.
The acquitted persons are— Sanaullah, Md Rahim, Md Harun and Abul Kashem. The HC bench of Justice Md Rezaul Haque and Justice K M Emrul Kayes delivered the verdict after hearing appeal petitions filed by the accused and death references sent from the trial court.
Lawyer Helal Uddin Mollah who appeared in the court hearing for the accused said the state has failed to prove the charges against the accused. Besides, the medical report did not find any evidence of rape, he added.
A Lakshmipur court on Wednesday sentenced four people to death for raping a woman in Kamolnagar Upazila of the district in 2014. District and Sessions Judge Dr Abul Kashem Chowdhury passed the order.
Those who got death penalty are Sanaullah, Md Rahim, Md Harun and Abul Kashem. Another accused Anowar was acquitted by the court.
According to the case documents, the victim was gang raped by the accused persons at her home at night on December 22 in 2014. Local people recovered the victim unconscious and sent her to hospital. She came to life after five days. Her husband filled a case on December 28 against five people in this connection. On May 31 in 2015, Kamalnagar Thana police submitted a charge-sheet to the court accusing five people.
After hearing the case, Judge of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal in Lakshmipur, Abul Kashem Chowdhury, on March 29 in 2017 pronounced death sentence for four of the accused and acquitted one.
Later, convicted persons filed appeal petitions with the High Court challenging the lower court verdict. At the same time death references came for approval. After hearing on their appeals and death references, the HC bench on Tuesday delivered the verdict.