The High Court has acquitted four individuals, including former State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfozzaman Babar and ex-NSI chief Major General (retd) Rezzakul Haider Chowdhury, in the infamous 10-truck arms smuggling case. Delivered on Wednesday (December 18) by Justices Mustafa Zaman Islam and Nasreen Akhter, the verdict also reduced the death sentences of 10 other convicts.
The case dates back to April 2004, when 10 truckloads of illegal weapons were seized at the CUFL jetty in Chattogram. In 2014, 14 individuals, including top officials, were sentenced to death. In the latest ruling, Indian separatist leader Paresh Barua’s death penalty was commuted to life imprisonment, while seven others received 10 years in prison.
This landmark decision has reignited discussions about justice, political influence, and accountability in one of Bangladesh’s most sensational criminal cases.
Source: Kaler Kantho
