Hearing of appeals of six condemned militant leaders of Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) including its chief Abdur Rahman and Siddiqul Islam alias Bangla Bhai in the Jhalakathi judges killing case began yesterday at the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court.State defence lawyer Advocate Khalilur Rahman Bhuyian started reading out the paper-book (history of the case) that will continue today. The full bench of the Appellate Division comprising seven judges led by Chief Justice Syed JR Mudassir Husain heard the matter. The High Court (HC), on August 31, upheld the death sentences of seven JMB militants that had been awarded by a trial court of Jhalakathi.
On May 29, the Jhalakathi court sentenced Abdur Rahman, Siddiqul Islam, Ataur Rahman Sunny, Abdul Awal, Iftekhar al Mamun, Khaled Saifullah and Arif to death for killing judges Sohel Ahmed and Jagannath Pandey in a suicide bomb attack on November 14, 2005. Although militant leaders earlier repeatedly said they would not appeal against verdict, after the HC verdict, six of the seven condemned militants filed petitions for appeal in October at the eleventh hour of deadline for appealing. The other condemned, Arif, is still on the run.