Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Md. Asaduzzaman on Sunday expressed hope that the entire judicial process in the Ramsia murder case could be completed within the next three months.

“Today's fast-track trial of the Ramsia murder case was not achieved by the government alone. It should be remembered that if the Hon'ble Chief Justice had not cancelled the leave of judges until June 15, it would not have been possible for the government to facilitate such a fast-track process,” he told reporters at Secretariat after the verdict.

Explaining how the case could reach its final legal conclusion within three months, the minister said that if the case records are sent to the High Court within a week and paper books are prepared within the following 15 days, the death reference hearing could be completed within two weeks under special consideration.

“After that, the case will move to the Appellate Division. I believe the entire process can be completed within three months,” he said.

However, he said not all cases could be handled through a similar fast-track process.

“We are trying to find a way out to determine how quickly we can dispose of such cases in the future,” he added.

Regarding the death reference process, Asaduzzaman said the Chief Justice intends to take a more focused approach to ensure the speedy disposal of death reference cases including the Ramisa murder case.

“I have spoken to the Chief Justice regarding the Ramisa case. He told me that once the court reopens, he will take more focused decisions to expedite all pending death reference cases,” he said.

Asaduzzaman said he would continue to pursue the matter to ensure the swift disposal of both older cases and the Ramisa case.

Responding to another question, he said there is no specific legal timeframe for the disposal of death reference cases, but efforts would be made to ensure that such cases are resolved as quickly as possible.

Earlier in the day, a Dhaka tribunal sentenced prime accused Sohel Rana and his wife Swapna Khatun to death in a case over the rape and murder Ramisa Akter in the city’s Pallabi area.