The High Court has rescheduled the verdict on the death reference and appeal of Hitu Sheikh, who was sentenced to death by a trial court for the rape and murder of eight-year-old child Asiya in Magura to August 31.
A High Court bench comprising Justice Bhishmadev Chakrabortty and Justice KM Rasheduzzaman Raja passed the order following a time petition filed by the state.
Advocate Hafizur Rahman Khan, appointed by the state, represented the defense, while Deputy Attorney General Imam Hossain Tariq appeared for the state.
Earlier on Monday, the High Court set today for delivering the verdict after concluding the hearing on the death reference and appeal. However, when the court proceedings began in the morning, Deputy Attorney General Imam Hasan Tarek applied for time, prompting the court to fix a new date for the verdict. Supreme Court public relations officer Md Shafiqul Islam confirmed the matter.
The brutal incident involving child Asiya took place in Magura Sadar Upazila. During the Ramadan holidays, the girl was raped on the night of March 5 last year while visiting her sister's house in the Nijnanduali area of the town. Her sister's father-in-law, Hitu Sheikh, not only raped the girl but also attempted to murder her.
The eight-year-old girl later died while undergoing treatment at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Dhaka.
Following the incident, the victim's mother filed a case against four individuals, including Hitu Sheikh. Police subsequently arrested all the accused.
Police submitted the charge sheet in this high-profile case on April 13, 2025. The trial formally began with the framing of charges on April 23, and the deposition of witnesses commenced on April 27, with 29 witnesses testifying for the prosecution.
The witness testimony concluded on May 7 last year. The judicial proceedings of this widely discussed case were completed in just 13 working days. The final arguments ended on May 13 last year in the court of Judge M. Zahid Hasan of the Magura Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal, and the verdict was delivered on May 17 of the same year.
The Magura Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal sentenced the primary accused, Hitu Sheikh (47), to death alongside a fine of BDT 100,000.
The remaining three accused--the victim's brother-in-law Sajeeb Sheikh (19), Sajeeb's younger brother (17), and Sajeeb's mother Jaheda Begum (40) were acquitted.
According to the Code of Criminal Procedure, if a death sentence is awarded by a trial court, the entire case record must be sent to the High Court for approval. Accordingly, the case documents were forwarded to the High Court on May 21 last year.
FP/A
