The nine witnesses, all aged under 18, are Nishat Sultana, Nasrin Sultana, Rashedul Hasan Rayhan, Tanzina Begum Sathi, Bibi Jaheda, Aklima Aktar, Fahmida Aktar Hamduna, Tahmina Aktar and Bibi Hazera.
The Feni Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal passed the order after the defendant’s lawyer filed an appeal to nullify their previous testimony.
The defence counsel in his petition contended that as per the Children’s Act 2013, testimonies of witnesses under 18 years should be recorded in a child-friendly atmosphere.
In Nusrat murder case testimonies of nine witnesses who were under 18 years old were recorded in the Sessions Court although they are not adults, the petition said.
The lawyer also filed an appeal seeking a special facility to transport Kamrun Nahar, one of the accused in the case who is nine months pregnant, in an ambulance.
The court accepted the plea and directed the jail authorities to take necessary steps as per the jail code.
On April 6, Nusrat Jahan Rafi was set on fire on the roof of the madrasah she attended, allegedly by people loyal to the principal of the madrasah after he was arrested and subsequently suspended as she had accused him of sexually harassing her in Sonagazi upazila of Feni district.
She lost her battle for life on April 10 at Dhaka Medical College Hospital in the capital.