High Court verdict on the death reference and appeal in the much-discussed August 21 grenade attack case today.

The High Court bench of Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayet Hossain will pronounce the verdict on Sunday (December 1).

The High Court had reserved the verdict for any day after the hearing on the death reference and appeal in the case on November 21. Later, the verdict was set for Sunday.

Supreme Court lawyer Mohammad Shishir Monir confirmed the verdict to reporters on Saturday.

The death reference and appeal hearing in the much-discussed August 21 grenade attack case began on October 31. On August 21, 2004, a grenade attack took place at an Awami League anti-terrorism rally on Bangabandhu Avenue in the capital. Judge Shahed Nuruddin of Dhaka's Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 pronounced the verdict in the case filed in this incident in 2018. The verdict sentenced 19 people to death, including State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfuzzaman Babar and Deputy Minister Abdus Salam Pintu of the BNP-Jamaat coalition government during the 2001-2006 period. Among the death-sentenced defendants, Brigadier General (retd) Abdur Rahim and defendant Sheikh Abdus Salam died while undergoing treatment in 2021.

19 people, including BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman, BNP leader Haris Chowdhury, and Kazi Shah Mofazzal Hossain Kaikobad were sentenced to life in prison in the case. In addition, the trial court sentenced 11 people to different terms. Later that year, a death reference was filed in the High Court. The convicted prisoners also appealed.

Two cases were filed at Motijheel Police Station under the Murder and Explosives Acts in connection with the grenade attack on August 21, 2004. In 2007, the caretaker government started a new investigation into the two cases (murder and explosives). In 2008, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the police filed a charge sheet accusing 22 people. The case was further investigated during the Awami League government. Then, a supplementary charge sheet was filed accusing 30 people, including Tarique Rahman. On October 10, 2018, the Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 gave its verdict in this case (murder and explosives case). After the verdict, the documents of the two cases, including the verdict of the trial court, reached the High Court in the same year.

Amidst the call for a general assembly by the employees of the Bangladesh Secretariat, Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration Dr. Md. Mokhles Ur Rahman will hold talks with them for the second time.

On Saturday (November 30), the officials called the employees and listened to their demands on the day of the strike. It has been decided to hold talks again on the demands of the employees on Sunday as well.

The matter has been confirmed in a notification signed by Joint Secretary of the Cabinet Division Sajjadul Islam. The subject, time and place of Sunday's discussion have been mentioned in the notification.

The leaders of the employee organizations said that when the Joint Council called for a general assembly last Thursday, Senior Secretary of the Land Ministry ASM Saleh Ahmed summoned them. He proposed that why create unrest over a problem that can be solved through discussion. When the employee organizations agreed to this, Additional Secretary (Administration) of the Ministry of Public Administration Mahbub ul Alam sat in on the discussion on Saturday

The discussion took place from 2 pm to evening, and later it was decided that the discussion would be held again at the Ministry of Public Administration at 9:30 am on Sunday. Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration Dr. Md. Mokhles Ur Rahman will participate in the discussion on Sunday, said the Joint Council press release.

On Saturday, the Additional Secretary, Bangladesh Secretariat officials and employees, Joint Council adviser Md. Towaha, President Badiul Kabir and others concerned participated in the discussion.

A new central committee of the ‘united’ Gono Forum has been formed with Dr. Kamal Hossain as emeritus president, Mostafa Mohsin Montu as president and Dr. Md. Mizanur Rahman as general secretary.

The new committee was announced at the party’s seventh national conference at the Ramna Engineers Institution in the capital on Saturday (November 30).

The new committee also includes the following members of the Presiding Council - Advocate SM Altaf Hossain, Advocate Subrata Chowdhury, Advocate AKM Jaglul Haider Afrik, Advocate Mohiuddin Abdul Quader, Mezbah Uddin Ahmed, Mushtaq Ahmed, Advocate Fazlul Haque Sarkar, Advocate Selim Akbar, Advocate Suraiya Begum, Harunur Rashid Talukder, Ratan Banerjee, Abdul Hasib Chowdhury, Abul Hasnat, Advocate Nilendu Deb, Golam Hossain Abab, Advocate Kazi Mezbah Uddin, Mohammad Ali Badal. Treasurer - Shah Nuruzzaman.

Secretarial Board - Ayub Khan Faruk, Principal Md. Yasin, Latiful Bari Hamim, Rafiqul Islam Pathik, Muhammad Rawshan Yazdani, Advocate AKM Raihan Uddin, Alinur Khan Babul, Advocate Shariful Islam Sajal, Md. Nazmul Islam Sagar, Mamunur Rashid Mamun, Mirza Hasan, Muhammad Ullah Madhu, Abdul Hamid Mia, Advocate Biswajit Ganguly, Advocate Mosharraf Hossain Talukder, Tajul Islam, Ranjid Sikder, Azizur Rahman Bhuiyan Majnu, Advocate Sanjid Rahman Shuvo, Azad Hossain, Lecturer Bakul Imam, Momena Ahmed Mumu, Khania Khanam Bobby, Ashraful Islam, Taufiqul Islam Palash, Md. Ali Lal, Advocate Saiful Islam, Mujibur Rahman Shiblu, Mahfuzur Rahman Masum and Faruk Hossain.

The fire that broke out on the third floor of the Suvastu Shopping Complex in the capital's Badda was brought under control after about an hour and a half.

The fire was brought under control at around 2:35 am on Saturday (December 1). Duty Officer of the Fire Service Control Room Md. Shahjahan confirmed the matter.

He said that the fire that broke out in two cloth shops on the third floor of the Suvastu Shopping Complex in Badda was brought under control at 2:35 am. Initially, the cause of the fire and the extent of the damage were not known. Apart from this, there were no reports of casualties.

Earlier, the Fire Service received the news of the fire at around 1:10 am. Later, three units of the Fire Service reached the spot and started work to control the fire.