High Court Modifies Verdict in Nusrat Murder Case, Death Penalty Upheld for 2, Life Term for 4, 10 Acquitted.

Jahangir Alam, Staff Reporter. ​The High Court has partially modified the trial court verdict in the sensational Nusrat Jahan Rafi murder case in Sonagazi, Feni. Out of the 16 defendants sentenced to death by the lower court, the High Court upheld the death penalty for 2 convicts, commuted the sentence of 4 to life imprisonment, and acquitted the remaining 10. ​A High Court bench comprising Justice Bhishmadev Chakrabortty and Justice K. M. Rasheduzzaman Raja delivered the judgment on Monday (August 24) after concluding hearings on the death reference and the appeals filed by the convicts. ​According to the case records, Nusrat’s mother, Shirin Akhtar, filed a case on March 27, 2019, alleging sexual harassment by Siraj Ud Doula, the principal of Sonagazi Islamia Fazil Madrasa. Police subsequently arrested the principal. Nusrat faced continuous pressure to withdraw the case, but she refused to yield. ​In retaliation, on April 6, 2019, when Nusrat went to the madrasa to sit for her Alim examinations, she was lured to the roof of a cyclone shelter in a premeditated plan and set on fire. Suffering severe burns, she succumbed to her injuries on April 10 while undergoing treatment at the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital. ​Following the incident, Nusrat’s brother, Mahmudul Hasan Noman, filed a case with Sonagazi Police Station. Upon investigation, the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) pressed charges against 16 individuals. On October 24, 2019, the Feni Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal sentenced all 16 accused to death along with a fine of Tk 1 lakh each. ​The case documents were subsequently sent to the High Court for death reference approval, alongside appeals lodged by the convicts. A special bench set up by the Chief Justice began proceedings on June 14, and after 17 working days of hearings starting July 28, the High Court delivered its final verdict today.