Supreme Court Upholds Acquittal in August 21 Grenade Case

BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman and former State Minister for Home Affairs Lutforzzman Babar (File photo)

The Supreme Court’s Appellate Division has upheld a High Court ruling that acquitted all convicts in the high-profile August 21 grenade attack case, including BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman and former State Minister for Home Affairs Lutforzzman Babar.

A six-member bench, led by Chief Justice Dr Syed Refaat Ahmed, delivered the verdict, confirming the High Court’s decision issued on December 1 last year. At that time, the High Court overturned the lower court’s verdicts in two cases related to the 2004 Dhaka attack, effectively clearing all accused individuals of charges.

The state had filed an appeal against the High Court verdict on March 19, seeking to challenge the acquittals. After hearing the petition over several days, the Supreme Court set September 4 to deliver its final decision, which ultimately upheld the earlier acquittals.

The August 21 grenade attack, which took place on Bangabandhu Avenue in Dhaka in 2004, targeted a political rally and shocked the nation. In the initial trials, a speedy tribunal in Dhaka issued verdicts on October 10, 2018, sentencing 19 accused—including Lutforzzman Babar and former deputy education minister Abdus Salam Pintu—to death. Another 19 accused, including Tarique Rahman, received life imprisonment, while 11 others were given various prison terms and fines.

These judgments were later transferred to the High Court as part of a death reference case in 2018. The Supreme Court’s recent ruling now brings a legal conclusion to one of Bangladesh’s most notorious political violence cases, though it remains a subject of public debate and discussion.