Tarique Rahman’s arrest warrant revoked in August 21 grenade attack case following High Court acquittal

The arrest warrant against Tarique Rahman, the Acting Chairman of BNP, has been officially revoked after his acquittal in the August 21 grenade attack case by the High Court.

The news was confirmed by Tarique Rahman’s defense lawyer, Abdur Rashid Mollah, on Monday.

Mollah shared that, in line with the High Court’s directives, Judge Mohammad Rafiqul Islam of Dhaka’s Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 decided to revoke the arrest warrant against Tarique Rahman on his own initiative.

“As per the instructions from the higher court, the judge has withdrawn the arrest warrant against Tarique Rahman,” he said.

This development follows the High Court’s decision on December 1, where they acquitted all the accused in the case, including Tarique Rahman, who had earlier been sentenced to life imprisonment, and former State Minister for Home, Lutfozzaman Babar, who had received the death penalty.

The verdict was issued by the bench of Justices AKM Asaduzzaman and Syed Enayet Hossain.

The court declared that the trial proceedings in the August 21 grenade attack case were not valid, adding that the charge sheet on which the lower court’s verdict was based was legally unsound.

The case dates back to October 10, 2018, when the trial court had sentenced 19 people, including Lutfozzaman Babar and former Deputy Minister Abdus Salam Pinto, to death for their involvement in the attack and the resulting murders.

Tarique Rahman, along with other notable figures such as Haris Chowdhury (Khaleda Zia’s political secretary) and Kazi Shah Moazzem Hossain Kaikobad, was sentenced to life imprisonment.

On November 27 of the same year, the trial court’s verdict, along with all required documents, was sent to the High Court’s Death Reference Section.

The tragic grenade attack took place on the afternoon of August 21, 2004, during an Awami League rally on Bangabandhu Avenue in Dhaka.

The attack resulted in the death of 24 people, including Awami League’s Women’s Affairs Secretary, Ivy Rahman.

Several hundred others, including Sheikh Hasina and various leaders and activists of the Awami League, were also injured in the assault.