Govt decides BDR trial mode tomorrow

Govt decides BDR trial mode tomorrow File photoStar Online Report The government will tomorrow decide under which law the BDR mutiny be tried, the law minister said today. Law Minister Shafique Ahmed said his office has received the Supreme Court opinion on the presidential reference whether the BDR mutiny can be tried under the army act. He was talking to reporters at his secretariat office after the law ministry received the opinion from Bangabhaban. The minister said so far they read the SC opinion they came to understand that the apex court gave its opinion in disfavour of holding mutiny trial under military law. He said there are some guidelines on holding trial of BDR incident. "We will hold an inter-ministerial meeting tomorrow morning to decide under which law the trial of the BDR incident will be held," he said. The minister further stated: "We will hold the trial under such law which can complete it within a very short time as BDR incident was deadly and brutal". Earlier on Thursday, the apex court sent the opinion to the Bangabhaban. The court in its opinion said it thinks the army act cannot be applied to try those accused of mutiny and massacre at the BDR headquarters on February 25-26. On August 17, President Zillur Rahman sent a reference to the SC for its views on the mode of trial for the border guards and others complicit in the Pilkhana bloodbath that left 57 top- and mid-ranking army officials killed. The presidential reference sought to know if the Army Act 1952 applies to trial of the BDR personnel. The full-bench Appellate Division that comprises Chief Justice MM Ruhul Amin, Justice Mohammad Fazlul Karim, Justice Md Tafazzul Islam, Justice Md Joynul Abedin, Justice Md Abdul Matin, Justice Shah Abu Nayeem Mominur Rahman, Justice Md Abdul Aziz, Justice BK Das, Justice ABM Khairul Haque, Justice Md Muzammel Hossain and Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha gave its opinion after hearing for six days the submissions of 10 amici curiae (friends of the court). Of them, seven opposed the idea of trial under the army act, two favoured, and one refrained from giving any opinion. The SC began hearing on the reference on August 25 and completed it on September 3.