No reinvestigation needed in August 21 case: Appellate Division

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has upheld the High Court verdict that acquitted all accused in the August 21, 2004 grenade attack case, including BNP's acting chairman Tarique Rahman and former state minister for home affairs Lutfozzaman Babar.

Delivering the verdict at 10:05 a.m on Thursday, a six-member bench of the Appellate Division, led by Chief Justice Dr. Syed Refaat Ahmed, ruled that no further reinvestigation into the case is necessary. The court also overturned the High Court's previous observations calling for further inquiries.

In its judgment, the Appellate Division noted that confessions from accused Mufti Hannan were extracted under duress and cannot be the sole basis for convicting all defendants. “A confession from a single individual, especially one obtained through torture, is not sufficient for sentencing others,” the court stated. It also acknowledged flaws in the original investigation but emphasized that a fresh probe would not be required.

With this ruling, the acquittals granted by the High Court to all convicts—both those previously sentenced to death and those given life imprisonment—are now final.

On August 21, 2004, grenades were hurled at a rally of then opposition leader Sheikh Hasina on Bangabandhu Avenue in Dhaka. The brutal attack killed 24 leaders and activists of the Awami League and injured scores more, including Sheikh Hasina herself.

Following the attack, two cases were filed under murder and explosives charges. In 2018, a trial court sentenced 19 individuals to death, 19 to life imprisonment, and 11 others to various jail terms.

However, the High Court, upon appeal, acquitted all the accused. The state challenged the decision in the Appellate Division, which today dismissed the appeal, thereby upholding the acquittals.