Dhaka: Bangladesh's Supreme Court today cleared the way for the execution of a senior leader of the fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami, three months after it overturned a tribunal's ruling that sentenced him to life for genocide during the 1971 war.
The apex court headed by Chief Justice M Muzammel Hossain issued the full text of the verdict given in September to award the death penalty to Abdul Quader Mollah, an assistant secretary general of Jamaat, reversing the special tribunal's verdict.
The announcement is likely to spark fresh violence at a time when the country is witnessing widespread clashes over the upcoming general elections.
“The countdown for executing the verdict began today ... under the jail code the jail authorities must execute the judgement in between 21 and 28th days of receipt of the copy,” senior prosecution lawyer Rana Dasgupta told PTI.
