The Supreme Court has acquitted two people, who had been in the condemned cell for the last 14 years after being convicted and sentenced to death by the trial court, in a case filed over murder of a woman and her daughter.
The apex court, however, commuted the death sentence of another convict in the case to life imprisonment.
A three-member Appellate Division bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice Hasan Fayez Siddiqui, pronounced the verdict on Thursday after hearing the appeals of the accused.
The Appellate Division bench asked the authorities concerned to free the two people from the condemned cell.
The acquitted are - Ismail Hossain Babu, son of Sirajul Islam of Doapara Joubanline Para and Sonadi, son of Rafiqul Islam of the same area, while another accused is Tariqul Islam Bhuta, son of Islam Dakat.
Advocate Helal Uddin Molla, Advocate SM Shahjahan and Advocate SM Box Kollol stood for the petitioners , while deputy attorney general Bashir Ahmed represented the state.
Bashir Ahmed said that only Tariqul Islam Bhuta had a confessional statement in the case. So, his appeal was rejected and his sentence was reduced to life imprisonment considering his long stay in the condemned cell.
Miliara Khatun alias Rukshan alias Milu, 30, wife of Md Bazlur Rahman of Godagari upazila in Rajshahi district, and her daughter Parveen alias Sabnur, 9, were killed on October 20 in 2006. They were strangled to death after Iftar on the evening of that day.
The next day, Milu’s father Rafiqul Islam filed a murder case with the local police station.
According to the case statement, Mili’s head was found in the barn and Sabnur's head in the latrine of the house.
On July 23 in 2008, the Rajshahi Speedy Trial Tribunal sentenced Ismail, Sonadi and Tariqul to death in the double murder case.
The court awarded death sentence to four people-- Ismail Hossain Babu, Sonadi, Tariqul Islam Bhuta and Moktar Hossain. Since then, three accused have been in the condemned cell, while Moktar was fugitive.
The convicts filed separate appeal petitions before the High Court, while the death references were also sent to the High Court as per the rules.
On March 13 in 2014, the High Court upheld the death sentence of the convicts.