Summary:
- Dhaka’s Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 has withdrawn the arrest warrants of the accused acquitted in the August 21 grenade attack case, including BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman.
- The High Court’s acquittal verdict was implemented on November 1, 2024, by the order of Judge Rafiqul Islam, following the state’s appeal.
- Although 19 people were sentenced to death and 19 to life in prison in the 2018 verdict, the High Court canceled all the sentences citing lack of evidence.
- This long-running case against Tarique Rahman, who is abroad, has had a huge impact on Bangladeshi politics.
A Dhaka court has withdrawn arrest warrants against BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman and other acquitted defendants in the 2004 August 21 grenade attack case. Judge Rafiqul Islam of Dhaka’s Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 issued the order Monday following a state prosecution request, citing a November 2024 High Court acquittal of all accused.
Special Public Prosecutor Abdul Rashid Molla confirmed the development, stating: “The High Court’s acquittal order required the judicial court to revoke existing arrest warrants. We formally appealed for this implementation, which the tribunal has now granted.” The warrants had remained active despite the High Court’s verdict, as procedural formalities delayed their withdrawal.
The case stems from a 2004 grenade attack targeting an Awami League rally in Dhaka, which killed 24 people and injured over 300. In 2018, a trial court sentenced 19 defendants—including former junior minister Lutfozzaman Babar and ex-deputy minister Abdus Salam Pintu—to death, while Rahman and 18 others received life imprisonment for conspiracy and murder.
A High Court bench comprising Justices A K M Asaduzzaman and Syed Enayet Hossain overturned all convictions on November 1, 2024, citing insufficient evidence. Legal documents formalizing the acquittal reached the judicial tribunal last week, triggering Monday’s warrant withdrawal.
Rahman, living abroad since 2008, remains a central figure in Bangladeshi politics as heir-apparent to the BNP leadership. The ruling Awami League has historically accused him of orchestrating the attack, claims the BNP denies as politically motivated.
This judicial closure follows two decades of legal battles and heightened political tensions. The case had been pending at the High Court’s Death Reference Branch since November 27, 2018, awaiting mandatory review of death sentences under Bangladeshi law.
