Dhaka, April 15 (IANS): The Bangladesh Supreme Court will hear the appeals of convicted war criminals Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed and Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury, who are challenging their death sentences, according to media reports on Wednesday.
The four-member bench, led by Chief Justice S.K. Sinha, set the new date after the lawyers of the convicts appealed for more time during the court hearing on Wednesday, Assistant Attorney General Bashir Ahmed was quoted as saying by bdnews24.com.
Khandaker Mahbub Hossain represented Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Chowdhury and Shishir Monir argued for Jamaat-e-Islami's Mujahid.
"We wanted more time. The court has set the hearing for April 28," Hossain told bdnews24.com after Wednesday's proceedings.
Justifying their request, he said: "City polls and Bar Council elections are being held. Also both the cases have same lawyers. That is why we asked for time."
In his petitions, Hossain prayed to the court to start hearing on the appeals at the end of May, with the Bangladesh Bar Council elections scheduled for May 20, the Daily Star reported.
Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal-2 (ICT-2) sentenced "atrocious' Al-Badr commander Mujaheed to death on July 17, 2013 for the killing of intellectuals and murder and torture of Hindus. He challenged the verdict on August 11 the same year.
The ICT is a specially constituted court set up to prosecute those, who committed war crimes committed during Bangladesh's 1971 War of Independence.
The ICT-1 on October 1, 2013 sentenced BNP Standing Committee member Chowdhury to death for crimes "for which the collective conscience of mankind would tremble".
He was found guilty of murdering Kundeshwari Oushadhalaya owner Nutan Chandra Singha, the genocide of Hindus, abduction and murder of a Hathazari Awami League leader and his son. Chowdhury challenged the verdict in court on October 29 the same year.
He is the first sitting member of parliament to be convicted of war crimes.
Bangladesh's Jamaat-e-Islami leader Muhammad Kamaruzzaman was hanged earlier this month for atrocities committed during the country's 1971 Liberation War.