The High Court on Tuesday granted six-month more to the taskforce to complete the investigation into the murder case of journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi.

The HC bench of Justice Fatema Najib and Justice Sikder Mahmudur Razi passed the order after hearing a petition seeking nine more months to investigate the case.

The court also fixed October 22 for the next hearing.

Advocate Shishir Monir stood for the petitioner while Additional Attorney General Arshadur Rahman Rauf represented the state.

Sagar-Runi murder case: Court reschedules submission date for investigation report

Earlier on September 30, the HC asked the government to form a high-powered taskforce to probe the murder case and submit a report within six months.

Following the court order, the current interim government formed a high-powered task force on October 23 last year, led by the chief of the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI).

Sagar, a news editor at private television channel Maasranga TV, and Runi, a senior reporter at ATN Bangla, were murdered in their rented apartment in Dhaka’s West Rajabazar on February 11, 2012.

Their four-and-a-half-year-old son, Mahir Sarowar Megh, was present in the house at the time of the murder.

Runi’s brother, Naosher Alam, field the murder case with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station following the murders.

Initially, police handled the investigation, but after four days, it was transferred to the Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).

DB admitted its failure before the High Court on April 18, 2012, after 62 days of investigation. The case was subsequently assigned to RAB.