They will get a chance to seek presidential pardons

Photo obtained from the internet shows Rajshahi University Professor S Taher Ahmed

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has published its verdict that rejected an appeal filed by two convicts seeking a review of the judgment in the murder case of Prof Dr S Taher Ahmed of the geology and mining department of Rajshahi University (RU).

As a result, there is now no legal bar to the execution of these two convicts. 

However, outside the court, they will get a chance to seek pardon from the president.

The 21-page judgment was released on Wednesday after the signature of the eight judges of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique. 

The lawyers of the case said according to the rules, the judgment of the Supreme Court will be sent to the relevant Rajshahi court. 

Later, the Rajshahi court will issue death warrants for the two convicts.

Earlier on March 2, the Appellate Division rejected the review petitions of the two death row convicts in the Prof S Taher Ahmed murder case.

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on September 15, 2022 published a 68-page verdict upholding the death sentence of a Rajshahi University professor along with another for murdering fellow faculty member Dr S Taher Ahmed in 2006.

In its observation, the court said that convict Prof Dr Mia Mohammad Mohiuddin feared that he would not be able to become a professor if Taher remained alive, and killed him out of professional jealousy.

The Appellate Division on April 5 upheld the original verdict handed down by the Speedy Trial Tribunal awarding the death penalty to Prof Dr Mohiuddin and teachers' housing area caretaker Jahangir Alam for the gruesome murder.

The Appellate Division simultaneously upheld the life term of two others – Jahangir's brother Nazmul Alam and his brother-in-law Abdus Salam.

The trial court originally handed down the death penalty to the four people but a High Court division bench later acquitted Nazmul and Salam.

Taher was a professor at the geology and mining department while convict Mohiuddin was an associate professor. He went missing from his university quarter on February 1, 2006 evening while his body was found the next day in the septic tank.  

On March 17, 2007, police pressed charges against six. 

On May 22, 2008, the Rajshahi Speedy Trial Tribunal sentenced four people to death and acquitted two others. The acquitted are – former RU Chhatra Shibir president Mahbubul Alam Salehi and Azimuddin Munshi.

On April 21, 2013, the High Court upheld the death sentence of Dr Mohiuddin and Md Jahangir, and commuted the death sentences of Nazmul and Salam to life imprisonment.

As the death sentence convicts appealed against the High Court verdict, the appeal hearing began on February 22 this year.