After the fall of the Awami League government, the High Court acquitted BNP’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman, former state minister for home affairs Lutfozzaman Babar, and all other defendants in the 21 August grenade attack case. The court also nullified the verdict of the trial court in this highly sensitive case.

The verdict was delivered by the High Court bench comprising Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayetur Rahman on Sunday. The judgment addressed the death reference (confirmation of death sentences) and appeals filed by the defendants against the trial court’s ruling.

Defense lawyer Mohammad Shishir Monir stated that the trial court had convicted 49 individuals, sentencing 19 to death, 19 to life imprisonment, and the rest to varying terms of imprisonment. He confirmed that the High Court allowed all appeals, declared the rule valid, and acquitted all the accused.

In its observations, the High Court ruled that the trial court’s verdicts were illegal as they were delivered using improper methods. It noted that the convictions were based on a confessional statement by Mufti Abdul Hannan, who was already sentenced to death in another case. The court declared that this statement held no evidentiary value as it was coerced and improperly verified by the magistrate.

Previously, on 21 November, the High Court concluded hearings on the death reference and appeals and reserved the case for a verdict. The case was transferred to this bench by the Chief Justice’s office on 23 October, following the formation of an interim government. Hearings began on 31 October, starting with a review of the paper book. After submissions from both the prosecution and defense, the case was reserved for a decision.

The grenade attack on 21 August 2004 targeted a rally led by then-opposition leader Sheikh Hasina. The attack killed 24 party members and injured hundreds, including Hasina. Two cases were filed under murder and explosives laws. In 2018, the trial court sentenced 19 individuals, including Lutfozzaman Babar and former deputy education minister Abdus Salam Pintu, to death. Tarique Rahman and 18 others were sentenced to life imprisonment, while 11 others received varying sentences and fines.

The death reference was registered with the High Court in 2018, and convicted individuals filed appeals through the prison authorities. A dual bench began hearings in December 2022, but after a change in one judge, a newly formed bench resumed hearings in October 2024, eventually leading to this verdict.