The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the High Court order that had awarded death penalty to two persons in a case filed for killing Ashiqur Rahman Khan Apu in 2008.

A four-member bench of the Appellate Division, led by Justice Obaidul Hassan passed the order.

The two death-row convicts are—Manjurul Abedin Russel and Noushad Molla Robin.

Besides, the SC also sentenced Mohammad Ali Munna and Iftekhar Beg Jhalak to life imprisonment unto death. The High Court had acquitted them.

Advocates Mansurul Haque Chowdhury, Sarwar Ahmed and Moshtaq Ahmed stood for the accused while deputy attorney general Sarwar Hossain Bappi represented the state.

According to the prosecution, the convicts kept Arifur Rahman Khan Setu, brother of Ashiqur Rahman Khan Apu and son of Advocate Rais Uddin of Wari Hare Street in Sutrapur area, hostages at gunpoint and dragged him to the Silverdale School ground from his residence on May 23, 2008.

On information, Apu along with his another brother Atiqur Rahman Khan Bappi went to the spot to save their brother.

At one stage, the convicts opened fire on the trio and left the place. The convicts did this for failing to realise Tk 12 lakh as extortion from them.

Later, they were taken to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital where the doctors declared Apu dead.

Apu’s two brothers escaped death but they remained physically challenged for life.

Atia Khan Keya, sister of Apu filed a case with Sutrapur Police Station.

Maksudur Rahman, inspector of the then Dhaka Metropolitan Intelligence Police, submitted chargesheet against seven people.

 On April 12, 2009, a court indicted the seven accused.

On March 13, 2012, Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 Judge Shahed Nur Uddin sentenced two people to death and four others to life imprisonment in the case.

Atiq Ahmed Shiplu, a chargesheeted accused of the case got acquitted from the case.

On May 7, 2018, the High Court upheld the death sentence of the two convicts while acquitted two more convicts—who were sentenced to life imprisonment in the case.

The lifers were Mahbub Alam, Mohammad Ali Munna, Iftekhar Beg Jhalak and Biplab Chandra Das. Among them, Mahbub and Biplab remained absconding.