Court Correspondent

The High Court (HC) on Wednesday acquitted six death-row convicts, including former state minister for home affairs Lutfozzaman Babar, in the sensational 10-truck arms haul cases.

The HC bench of Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam and Justice Nasreen Akter passed the order.

The court also commuted the death sentence of six convicts to 10 years imprisonment in the case.

Indian separatist outfit United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) chief Paresh Barua, another death-row convict, had his sentence reduced to life imprisonment.

The court also exempted former National Security Intelligence director general Abdur Rahim from the case.

The case dates back to 1 April 2004, when 10 truckloads of arms were seized at the Chittagong Urea Fertilizer Limited (CUFL) jetty.

Two cases—one under the Arms Act and another under the Special Powers Act—were filed with Karnaphuli Police Station the following day. In the arms case, 50 people were named as accused, and in the other, 52.

On 30 January 2014, Chattogram Metropolitan Sessions Judge SM Mujibur Rahman sentenced 14 people to death under the Special Powers Act. They were also handed life imprisonment and seven years' imprisonment each under two sections of the arms case.

The 14 sentenced to death included former Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami, former state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar, ULFA chief Paresh Barua, former DGFI director Maj Gen (retd) Rezzakul Haider Chowdhury, and former NSI director general Abdur Rahim. The charges were related to smuggling under the Special Powers Act.

Of these convicts, Motiur Rahman Nizami was executed in 2016 for crimes against humanity.