Pradeep Kumar Das and Liakat Ali, two former police officials sentenced to death for the murder of Major Sinha Mohammad Rashed Khan (retired), have appealed to the High Court seeking acquittal.

Pradeep's lawyer Advocate Rana Dasgupta said on Tuesday that he has appealed to the office concerned of the High Court on Monday.

The acquittal of Pradeep and Liakat from the death sentence given by the lower court has been sought in the appeal, he added.

Read: Major Sinha murder case: Ex-OC Pradeep & Liakat shifted to Kashimpur Jail

A Cox’s Bazar court on January 31 sentenced former OC Pradeep and ex-inspector Liakat to death and six others to life imprisonment in the Major Sinha murder case.

District and Sessions Judge Mohammad Ismail pronounced the judgment in the presence of all the 15 accused, said Public Prosecutor Faridul Alam.

The court had, however, acquitted seven other accused in the case.

The death references of the murder case reached the High Court on February 8.

On February 9,  Pradeep and Liakat were shifted to Kashimpur Jail in Gazipur.

Sinha murder

On July 31, 2020, Major Sinha was shot dead at the Shamlapur police check post in Baharchhara Union of Cox's Bazar while he was returning to the town after filming for a documentary.

Read: Sinha murder case: Death references reach HC

On August 5, 2020, Sinha's sister, Sharmin Shahriar Ferdous, moved the Teknaf Senior Judicial Magistrate's Court accusing nine members of law enforcement agencies of the murder, including former officer-in-charge of Teknaf Model Police Station Pradeep Kumar Das and Baharchhara Police Outpost inspector Liakat Ali.

On December 13 the same year, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) submitted a charge-sheet against 15 people, including ex-OC Pradeep, police informer Ayaz and three APBn members, in the case.

On June 27, 2021, the court framed charges against them.