Viqarunnisa’s Aritri murder case verdict deferred again

Court Correspondent :
A Dhaka court once again deferred the announcement of its verdict in the case filed against two former teachers of Viqarunnisa Noon School and College for allegedly instigating one of their students Aritri Adhikary to commit suicide.

The two accused teacher are- former Acting Principal of the school Nazneen Ferdous and morning shift in-charge of the school’s Bailey Road branch Zinat Akhtar.

They have been suspended by the institution after the case was filed.

Judge Abdullah Al Mamun of the Twelfth Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court of Dhaka was scheduled to deliver judgement in the case on Thursday but postponed it as the verdict was not ready.

A new date for pronouncing the judgment will be announced later.

The court on November 27 set January 22 to deliver its verdict after hearing the arguments from both sides. It later fixed February 8 as the new date for the pronouncement of the verdict after failing to do so on the first date.

Dhaka’s Third Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court on July 10 of 2019, framed charges against the two teachers, initiating the trial officially.

Earlier on April 30, 2019, Metropolitan Magistrate Sadbir Yasir Ahsan Chowdhury of Dhaka accepted the charge sheet filed in the case.
The court also allowed the Investigation Officer’s plea to drop the name of Aritri’s class teacher Hasna Hena from the case as allegations brought against her were not found true in investigation.

Police on March 28, 2019, submitted the charge sheet against the then Acting Principal of Viqarunnisa Noon School and College Nazneen Ferdous and morning shift in-charge of the school’s Bailey Road branch Zinat Akhtar. Investigation Officer Inspector Qazi Qamrul Islam of Detective Branch of police submitted the charge sheet to the court.

Aritri was found hanging from a ceiling fan of her residence in the capital’s Shantinagar area on December 3, 2018, hours after she and her parents were allegedly insulted by the teachers. She was rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) where physicians declared her dead.

Aritri’s father Dilip Adhikary on December 4, 2018, filed the case with Paltan Model Police Station against three teachers.