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The High Court has upheld the death sentence of Hitu Sheikh, a convict in the widely discussed eight-year-old child Asia rape and murder case in Magura.
A High Court bench comprising Justice Bhishmadev Chakraborty and Justice KM Rasheduzzaman Raja delivered the verdict on Monday.
The court accepted the death reference seeking confirmation of the death penalty, dismissed the appeal and disposed of the jail appeal filed by Hitu Sheikh. He is the father-in-law of the sister of the eight-year-old girl who was raped and later died.
Earlier, on June 10, the Chief Justice had constituted the specific High Court bench to hear death references, appeals and other matters related to cases under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act on a priority basis. The bench began its activities on June 14.
The hearing of the much-discussed Magura child rape and murder case began on August 11. The state started presenting the case from the paper book on that day. Hearings continued on August 23 and 24. After three days of hearings, the court fixed August 31 for delivering the verdict on August 25.
Attorney General Md Ruhul Quddus Kazal, Deputy Attorney General Mohammad Imam Hossain Tarek and Syed Ejaz Karim appeared for the state. State-appointed lawyer Hafizur Rahman Khan represented the accused.
The Magura Child Rape-Murder Incident
In early March last year, the child had gone to visit her elder sister’s in-laws’ home. On March 6, at around 11:30am, she was taken unconscious to Magura 250-Bed Hospital.
Seven days later, on March 13, the child died while undergoing treatment at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Dhaka.
On March 8, the girl’s mother filed a case with Magura Sadar Police Station under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act, accusing the perpetrators of rape and attempted murder.
Investigation officer and Inspector (Investigation) of Magura Sadar Police Station Md Alauddin submitted the charge sheet to the court on April 13 last year.
The case was subsequently transferred from the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court to the tribunal on April 17, and the tribunal accepted the charge sheet on April 20. The trial formally began with the framing of charges on April 23.
Counting from the day of the incident on March 6, the trial court delivered its verdict within 73 days.
Conviction, Death Reference and Appeal
The Magura Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal delivered its verdict on May 17 last year, sentencing Hitu Sheikh to death. Three other accused were acquitted.
The case records, including the trial court’s judgment, reached the High Court’s Death Reference Branch on May 21 last year for confirmation of the death sentence. The case was subsequently registered as a death reference.
Hitu Sheikh, meanwhile, appealed against the trial court’s verdict in the High Court on June 25 last year. Following a hearing on the admissibility of the appeal, the High Court admitted it for hearing on July 1. The court also stayed the fine imposed on him by the trial court.
The High Court today delivered its verdict on the death reference, appeal and jail appeal filed in the case, upholding Hitu Sheikh’s death sentence.