The Appellate Division of Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that the duration of convicts’ life sentence would be 30-year in jail as per the Penal Code and Code of Criminal Procedure.
According to the Appellate Division, the courts or tribunals, international crimes tribunals can award convicts sentences until their natural death in jail and in that case the convicts’ sentence would not be reduced as per the jail code.
A seven-member bench chaired by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain gave the interpretation on the duration of life-term sentence disposing of a petition filed by convict Ataur Rahman.
Ataur, in his petition, sought the review of a 2017 Supreme Court ruling that said life imprisonment implies a jail term for the convict’s entire life in jail, not 30 years.
On July 11, 2019, the Appellate Division concluded the hearing of the review petition but said that judgment would be delivered any day.
A four-judge bench, headed by the then chief justice SK Sinha, on February 14, 2017, ruled that life imprisonment means till convicts’ natural death in jail amid debate over the tenure of life imprisonment.
The Appellate Division dismissed the appeals filed by three death row-convicts Ataur, Anwar and Kamrul challenging their death sentences upheld by the High Court in 2007.
On October 15, 2003, the trial court awarded death sentences to the three for killing Zaman in Ashulia on December 16, 2001. Zaman was shot to death as gunmen triggered seven bullets on his chest.
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