The High Court will not deliver its verdict today on the death reference and appeal of Hitu Sheikh, the main accused in the widely discussed rape and murder case involving child Achia in Magura. On Tuesday morning, the court postponed the verdict to August 31 following an application by the prosecution.

A High Court bench comprising Justice Bhishmadev Chakrabortty and Justice K M Rasheduzzaman Raja had set the matter for judgment after a hearing on Monday, August 24. State-appointed lawyer Hafizur Rahman Khan represented the accused, while Deputy Attorney General Imam Hossain Tarek appeared for the state.

The eight-year-old child was allegedly raped after visiting her sister’s home in the Nijnanduali area of Magura town on the night of March 5 last year. The sister’s father-in-law, Hitu Sheikh, was accused of rape and an attempted killing. The child later died while receiving treatment at the Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka. Her mother filed a case against Hitu Sheikh and three others, and police later arrested all four accused.