Lutfozzaman Babar Acquitted After 17 Years Behind Bars

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Publish : 14 Jan 2025, 06:15 PM

Photo: Collected

Former State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfozzaman Babar has been acquitted of the highly discussed 10-truck arms smuggling case. Previously, he had been acquitted in the smuggling case related to the same incident. As a result, there are no more barriers to Lutfozzaman Babar's release.

On Tuesday (January 14), a bench of the High Court, comprising Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam and Justice Nasreen Akhter, delivered the verdict after hearing the death reference and the appeals filed by the defendants.

Babar has been in prison for nearly 17 years, during which he received medical treatment in hospitals several times due to illness. The public remains curious—when will Lutfozzaman Babar be released from prison?

When asked about the release, Senior Jail Superintendent Suraiya Akter of Dhaka Central Jail stated that they are receiving the release documents one after another. However, not all of them have arrived yet. If they arrive today, he will be released today.

On this day, in addition to Babar, eight other individuals were acquitted in the arms law case. Meanwhile, five people, including ULFA leader Paresh Baruah, were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment.

In court, lawyer Shishir Monir filed an appeal for Babar’s acquittal. Deputy Attorney General Sultana Akter Ruby and Assistant Attorney General Md. Asif Imran Jisan represented the state. Senior lawyer SM Shahjahan represented the other five defendants.

On December 18, the High Court acquitted six defendants, including former State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfozzaman Babar, Mohsin Talukder, Enamul Haque, and Razzakul Haidar, in the case of the much-discussed 10-truck arms smuggling incident in Chittagong.

Earlier, on November 6, the hearings began on the death reference and appeals in the 10-truck arms smuggling case in Chittagong. Senior lawyer SM Shahjahan represented several defendants, including former State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfozzaman Babar.

Notably, on April 1, 2004, a shipment of 10 trucks of arms was seized from CUFL Jetty in Chittagong. Two cases were filed under the Arms Act and the Special Powers Act for smuggling in connection with this incident at the Karnaphuli police station in the port city.

On January 30, 2014, the Chittagong Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court and Special Tribunal-1 delivered the verdict in the case. Former Industries Minister and Ameer of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Matiur Rahman Nizami, former State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfozzaman Babar, ULFA military commander Paresh Baruah, and 14 others, including senior officials of two intelligence agencies, were sentenced to death for arms smuggling. In another case under the Arms Act, the same defendants were sentenced to life imprisonment.

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