Staff Correspondent:

The High Court (HC) on Thursday set June 2 for pronouncing judgment on death reference of the convicts sentenced to maximum punishment by the lower court concerned and their appeals in the sensational Major (Retd) Sinha Md Rashid Khan murder trial.

The High Court division bench of Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman and Justice Md Sagir Hossain passed the order on Thursday.

Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman took part in the hearing for the state.

Major Sinha was shot dead by police at the Shamlapur check post in Teknaf on the night of July 31, 2020 as he was returning after shooting videos for his YouTube channel in the village of Marishbunia.

Later, Sinha’s sister Sharmin Shahriar Ferdous filed the case against nine policemen, including former OC of Teknaf police station Pradip Kumar Das and former In-charge of Baharchora Police Investigation Centre Inspector Liakat Ali, with Cox’s Bazar court on August 5, six days after the killing.

Cox’s Bazar District and Sessions Judge Court on January 31, 2022, sentenced Pradip Kumar Das and Liakat Ali to death and six others: sub-inspector Nanda Dulal Rakshit, Constable Rubel Sharma, ASI Sagar Deb, Nurul Amin, Nezam Uddin and Mohammad Ayaz Uddin to life imprisonment.

The seven other accused including Armed Police Battalion (APBn) sub-inspector Mohammad Shahjahan, constables Mohammad Rajib and Mohammad Abdullah were acquitted from the case as the charges framed against them were not proved.

The death reference of the convicts later came to the High Court for its approval. The convicts too filed appealed against their conviction, which were heard by the High Court.