Ramisa murder case verdict meets prosecution’s expectations: Law minister

Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman today said the verdict awarding capital punishment to prime accused Sohel Rana and his wife, Swapna Khatun, in the case over the rape and murder of eight-year-old Ramisa Akter, matched the prosecution’s “proposal and expectations”.

Making a statement in the parliament under Section 300 of the Rules of Procedure, he said the government is expediting other rape cases as well.

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“From the prosecution side, we presented all the witnesses and evidence. The verdict we had expected, the verdict we had proposed, the verdict we had prayed for before the court -- after reviewing all the testimony and evidence -- the court delivered the verdict,” he added.

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Ramisa Murder: Sohel, wife Swapna sentenced to death

“We are pleased to announce that in the Ramisa murder case, two accused persons -- the principal accused Sohel and his accomplice, his wife -- have been sentenced to death by the court,” he said.

On May 19, Ramisa was raped and brutally murdered in Dhaka’s Pallabi area.

The law minister added that within five days, police completed a proper investigation and submitted the report on May 24. On that day, the charge sheet was moved from the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court to the relevant tribunal.

He said they faced one concern: all lower courts, except magistrates, were scheduled to go on summer recess from June 1 to June 15. After government’s appeal to the chief justice, the tribunals established to deal with violence against women and children were exempted from the vacation.

Once the charge sheet was filed on May 24, the accused had not appointed any lawyers, which could have been used to undermine the trial process. Then the government appointed state defence.

“The murder of Ramisa weighs upon our lives like the Himalayas. If we can carry out the execution of those sentenced to death, their deaths will be as light as a feather to the nation. We believe this is our responsibility -- our promise to the people,” he said.

“On that day, when journalists referred to the victim’s father saying he did not want justice, we replied: the only answer would be to restore his trust. Today, Ramisa’s father has said he is satisfied with the verdict. We have succeeded in restoring his trust,” he added.