The Appellate Division Chamber Judge has stayed the execution of a death row convict in Rajshahi University Professor S Taher Ahmed murder case.
The death row convict is Dr Mia Mohammad Mohiuddin, former associate professor of Rajshahi University’s Geology and Mining department.
Chamber judge Borhan Uddin passed the order on Tuesday following the convict’s review petition seeking reconsideration of the judgment given by the Appellate Division upholding the death sentence.
The court also fixed November 17 for hearing of the review petition in the regular bench of the Appellate Division.
Now Mohiuddin's death sentence will remain suspended until this period, said convict’s counsel Lawyer SM Shahjahan.
Additional Attorney General Sheikh Mohammad Morshed and Assistant Attorney General M Saiful Alam represented the state.
Meanwhile, two separate review petitions were filed by another death row convict Md Jahangir Alam, caretaker of Professor S. Taher’s residence, and lifer Abdus Salam, relatives of caretaker Jahangir Alam, which will be presented at the Chamber court soon.
On April 5, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court upheld the High Court’s death sentence of two convicts, including Mohiuddin, and life imprisonment of two others in the murder case.
A bench of six justices, led by Chief justice Hasan Foez Siddique, passed the order, rejecting the appeal of the defence in this case.
The other death row convict of the case is Md Jahangir Alam while the two lifers are Nazmul Alam and Abdus Salam, relatives of caretaker Jahangir Alam.
Prof Taher’s body was recovered from a drain near his residence, two days after he went missing on February 1, 2006.
On February 3, a murder case was filed at Motihar police station in Rajshahi, following a complaint lodged by his son Sanzid.
A Rajshahi Speedy Trial Tribunal on May 22, 2008, sentenced to death the four accused.
The tribunal also acquitted two persons, including former RU Chhatra Shibir president Mahbubul Alam Salehi.
Later on May 13, 2013, the High Court upheld the death penalty of Mohiuddin and Jahangir, but sentenced Salam and Nazmul to imprisonment until death.
After the order, the convicts moved the apex court.