The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Monday commuted the sentence of a death-row prisoner to life in jail for killing his wife in Nilphamari in 2006.
The six-member virtual bench of the Appellate Division, led by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, passed the order following an appeal petition filed by the convict.
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The SC also fined convict Swapan Kumar of Kushtia Tk 5,000 to, and asked the authorities concerned to shift him to a normal cell from the condemned one.
Additional Attorney General Sheikh Mohammad Morshed stood for state while Advocate Khandaker Mahbub Hossain appeared as the defence counsel for free.
According to the prosecution, Swapan killed his first wife Swapna Ghosh, 35, hitting her in her head over a family feud in Syedpur upazila of Nilphamari district on October 16, 2006.
On October 28, police filed a case against Swapan and arrested him. On November 18, 2008, Nilphamari District and Sessions Judge sentenced Swapan to death.
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On April 9, 2014, the High Court upheld the lower court verdict.
Later, Swapan filed a petition to the Appellate Division challenging the HC order and it commuted his sentence today.
END/UNB/Corr/MAS/SAM