The Supreme Court on Wednesday continued for the fourth day hearing appeals against a High Court verdict that acquitted BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, former state minister Lutfozzaman Babar, and others in the August 21 grenade attack cases.
A six-member bench of the Appellate Division of the SC headed by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed decided to resume the hearing on Thursday.
Earlier in the day, defence counsel SM Shahjahan told the Appellate Division that there is no evidence of the accused persons' involvement in the grenade attack incident or in the conspiracy, and of their presence at the place of occurrence.
"If the political changeover had not taken place last year in the country, none of the detained persons in connection with this case could have been released from jail," he said, adding that all the detained persons were released after August 5 last year.
Advocate SM Shahjahan prayed to the apex court to uphold the HC verdict that acquitted all the accused in the cases.
On Tuesday, Deputy Attorney General Abdullah Al Mahmud Masud placed arguments on behalf of the state, praying to the apex court to scrap the HC judgment and affirm the trial court verdict in the cases.
Defence lawyers SM Shahjahan, Zainul Abedin, Kayser Kamal, Mohammad Shishir Manir, Jaiad Bin Amjad and Md Maksud Ullah were present during the proceedings.
On June 2, the Appellate Division allowed the state to move two appeals against the HC verdict in the cases.
On December 1 last year, the HC acquitted all the 49 accused, including Tarique and Babar, scrapping the trial court verdicts that had earlier convicted and sentenced them in connection with the grenade attack on an Awami League rally in 2004.
The acquittal came following hearings on death references and appeals filed by several convicts.
Later, the state filed appeals with the Appellate Division seeking to overturn the HC decision.
