Staff Reporter

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court (SC) today published a 68-page verdict upholding death sentence of a Rajshahi University (RU) professor along with another for murdering fellow faculty Dr S Taher Ahmed in 2006.

The verdict has been published after being signed by Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique and six judges of the Appellate Division.

In its observation, the Appellate Division has said that the convict Mia Mohammad Mohiuddin feared that he will not be able to become a professor if Taher remains alive, and killed him out of professional jealousy.
Segufta Tabassum Ahmed, advocate of the Supreme Court and also daughter of Professor Taher, said to BSS, “We’ve received the certified copy of the verdict. We expect that the death penalties will be implemented soon.”

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on April 5 upheld the original verdict handed down by the Speedy Trial Tribunal awarding death penalty to Rajshahi University Professor Dr Mia Mohammad Mohiuddin and caretaker of teachers housing area Jahangir Alam, for murdering Dr S Taher Ahmed.

The Appellate Division simultaneously upheld the life term of two others - Alam's brother Nazmul Alam and his brother-in-law Abdus Salam.

The trial court originally handed down death penalty to four people but a High Court division bench later acquitted two, upholding the capital punishment of Mohiuddin and Alam.

Taher was a full professor of Geology and Mining Department while convict Mohiuddin is an associate professor of the same department. He went missing from his university quarter on February 1 evening while his body was found next day in the septic tank.

On March 17, 2007, police filed chargesheet against six. On May 22, 2008, the Rajshahi Speedy Trial Tribunal sentenced four people to death and acquitted two others. The acquitted were- former RU Chhatrashibir president Mahbubul Alam Salehi and Azimuddin Munshi.

On April 21, 2013, the High Court upheld the death sentence of Dr Mia Mohammad Mohiuddin and Md Jahangir Alamin, and commuted the death sentences of Nazmul Alam, brother of Mohammad Jahangir Alam and Abdus Salam to life imprisonments.

As the death sentence convicts appealed against the High Court verdict, the appeal hearing began on February 22 this year.