Judge who sentenced all 16 accused to death in Nusrat case ordered withdrawn

The High Court has ordered the withdrawal of the judge who handed down death sentences to all 16 accused in the 2019 murder of madrasa student Nusrat Jahan Rafi in Feni's Sonagazi.

A High Court bench comprising Justice Bhishmadev Chakrabortty and Justice KM Rasheduzzaman Raja passed the order on Monday (August 24) while delivering its verdict on the death references, appeals and jail appeals in the case.

The judge, Mamunur Rashid, was serving at the Feni Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal when he delivered the trial court verdict on Oct 24, 2019.

The High Court, in its ruling, described the decision to impose the death penalty on all 16 accused as “excessive” and directed that Mamunur Rashid be withdrawn from judicial authority.

Nusrat, a student of Sonagazi Islamia Fazil (Degree) Madrasa, was set on fire on April 6, 2019, after being taken to the roof of the institution. She sustained severe burns and died at the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital on April 10.

The killing sparked widespread outrage across the country and triggered protests demanding justice for the teenager.

Following the murder, law enforcement agencies arrested 16 people in connection with the case. The trial court subsequently sentenced all of them to death.

In a separate part of Monday's High Court verdict, the court upheld the death sentences of two accused, sentenced four others to life imprisonment and acquitted 10.