In a significant development, former State Minister for Home Affairs, Lutfuzzaman Babar, and five other individuals have been acquitted from their death sentences in the 10-truck arms smuggling case, which dates back to 2004.
The High Court not only cleared Babar and five others, but also reduced the death penalties of six more convicts to 10 years in prison.
Additionally, Paresh Barua, a top leader of the Indian separatist group ULFA, has had his death sentence reduced to life imprisonment.
This important ruling came from a High Court bench today, comprising Justice Mostafa Zaman Islam and Justice Nasreen Akhter, after they reviewed both the death references and appeals submitted by the convicts.
The case centers around a huge arms haul on April 1, 2004, when authorities seized 10 truckloads of weapons at the CUFL (Chattogram Urea Fertilizer Limited) jetty.
This led to two separate cases being filed at Karnaphuli Police Station under the Arms Act and the Special Powers Act, accusing several individuals of smuggling these arms.
On January 30, 2014, the Chattogram Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court and Special Tribunal-1 delivered their verdict, sentencing 14 people to death.
Among those sentenced were Lutfuzzaman Babar, former Industries Minister Motiur Rahman Nizami (who was later executed in a separate case), ULFA commander Paresh Barua, and senior officials from two intelligence agencies.
In addition to the arms smuggling charges, all 14 convicts were also given life imprisonment in a separate case under the Arms Act.
Following the trial court’s decision, the case documents were sent to the High Court’s Death Reference section on February 6, 2014, and the case was registered as a death reference case.
The convicted individuals also filed appeals against their sentences in the same year.
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