The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has scheduled Thursday, July 17, for the hearing of the state's appeal against the acquittal of all accused, including BNP's acting chairman Tarique Rahman, in the widely discussed August 21 grenade attack case.

The five-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, fixed the date on Tuesday, July 15.

Earlier, on June 1, the state obtained permission to file the appeal against the High Court’s verdict that had cleared all defendants. On December 1 last year, the High Court acquitted former State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfozzaman Babar, Tarique Rahman, and others, declaring the trial court’s verdict invalid.

In 2018, the lower court had sentenced 19 individuals—including Babar and former Deputy Minister for Education Abdus Salam Pintu—to death, while another 19, including Tarique Rahman, were sentenced to life imprisonment. Eleven others received various terms of imprisonment.

The case stems from the August 21, 2004 grenade attack on a rally of then opposition leader Sheikh Hasina on Bangabandhu Avenue (now Shaheed Abrar Fahad Avenue). The deadly attack left 24 Awami League activists dead and injured hundreds more.