The High Court is scheduled to announce its verdict Monday in the appeal proceedings of the widely discussed murder case of Feni madrasa student Nusrat Jahan Rafi. The bench of Justice Bhishmadev Chakrabortty and Justice K M Rasheduzzaman Raja set the date for the ruling on Thursday. Police have strengthened security at Nusrat’s family home in the Uttar Charchandia area of Sonagazi municipality ahead of the verdict.

Nusrat’s mother, Shirin Akter, said the family received justice in the lower court but remains concerned about security while raising her three sons. She said police are providing overall security and expressed hope that the High Court would also deliver justice. Under criminal procedure, death sentences issued by trial courts require High Court approval through a death reference, while the convicted defendants also filed jail and criminal appeals.

On October 24, 2019, the Feni Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal sentenced all 16 accused to death and fined each Tk100,000. Nusrat died on April 10, 2019, after being set on fire on a cyclone shelter roof at her madrasa on April 6. The trial heard testimony from 87 people and completed arguments within 61 working days.