The High Court has upheld the death sentence of Hitu Sheikh in the widely discussed rape and murder case of an eight-year-old girl in Magura, clearing the way for the punishment to remain in force.
A High Court bench comprising Justice Bhishmadev Chakraborty and Justice KM Rasheduzzaman Raja delivered the verdict on Monday morning.
The death reference and appeal in the case were heard by the bench from August 11.
The verdict had initially been scheduled for August 25 but was deferred after the state sought additional time.
Hitu Sheikh, the father-in-law of the child’s sister, was sentenced to death by the Magura Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal on May 17, 2025.
The tribunal acquitted three other accused in the case.
The child was allegedly raped and sexually assaulted in early March 2025 while visiting her sister’s in-laws in Nijnanduali village of Magura.
She was subsequently treated at hospitals in Magura and Faridpur before being transferred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital and later Combined Military Hospital.
She died on March 13.
Following the tribunal’s verdict, the case documents were sent to the High Court as a mandatory death reference for review.
The High Court’s decision comes after the Chief Justice formed a special bench on June 10, 2026, to prioritise death references and appeals in cases filed under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act amid continuing concerns over violence against women and children.
A special team of state lawyers was also formed to assist the bench in handling the cases.
State-appointed lawyer Hafizur Rahman Khan represented Hitu Sheikh, while Deputy Attorney General Imam Hasan Tarek appeared for the state, assisted by Assistant Attorney General Rohani Siddique and Mahbuba Tasnim Ankhi.
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