Sinha Murder Case Appeal Hearing Set for December 1 in Appellate Division

The murder case of retired Major Sinha Md Rashed Khan has passed the trial court and the High Court and is now pending before the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court. The chamber judge court has set December 1 for hearing the appeals.

On October 18, the chamber judge court of Justice Md Rezaul Haque of the Appellate Division fixed the date. The convicted accused have appealed against the High Court verdict that upheld death sentences for two accused and life imprisonment for six others.

On the night of July 31, 2020, Sinha Md Rashed Khan was shot dead by police at the Shamlapur checkpoint on the Cox's Bazar-Teknaf Marine Drive road. His sister Sharmin Shahria Ferdous filed the murder case over the incident.

On January 31, 2022, the Cox's Bazar District and Sessions Judge Court sentenced then Teknaf police station officer-in-charge Pradip Kumar Das and Inspector Liaquat Ali to death and six other accused to life imprisonment. Seven accused were acquitted in that verdict.

On June 2, 2025, the High Court upheld the death sentences of Pradip Kumar Das and Liaquat Ali and also upheld life imprisonment for the other six accused. The High Court's 378-page full verdict was published on November 20, 2025.

The High Court's full verdict said Pradip Kumar Das was the mastermind of the killing. According to the court's observations, he was present at the scene, struck Sinha in the chest and pressed his foot on Sinha's throat to ensure his death.

The verdict also said Liaquat Ali, acting on a prior plan, was present at the scene and fired four consecutive shots from a government pistol at vital parts of the unarmed Sinha's upper body. The autopsy report stated that Sinha died from those gunshot wounds, the verdict noted.

According to the verdict, on July 2, 2020, Sinha came to Cox's Bazar with several associates to shoot video and still images for his 'Just Go' YouTube channel. While working in Cox's Bazar, Teknaf and Ramu, he learned from local people of allegations including extortion, enforced disappearances and crossfire against Pradip and several members of his force, and he also recorded statements from victims.

The verdict said that after learning of this through sources, Pradip threatened Sinha to stop the work and leave the area, and several people were assigned as sources to track Sinha's movements. It also cited an announcement over a mosque loudspeaker branding Sinha and his associate as robbers, with the aim of having them killed by mob beating as they returned from the hills.

The six whose life sentences were upheld are former police sub-inspector Nandadulal Rakkhit, constables Rubel Sharma and Sagar Deb, and Md Nurul Amin, Mohammad Aiyaz and Md Nizam Uddin. The High Court said charges of conspiracy, aiding and common intention against them were proved beyond doubt.

After the case came to the High Court for approval of the death sentences, the convicted accused filed appeals and jail appeals, while plaintiff Sharmin Shahria Ferdous applied against the acquitted accused and sought enhancement of the six life sentences. On June 2, 2025, the High Court disposed of those applications and upheld the trial court's verdict.

Cox's Bazar District and Sessions Judge Court Public Prosecutor Advocate Mohammad Yunus said the Sinha murder case proceedings are no longer in Cox's Bazar and the case is pending before the higher court. When the hearing begins in the Appellate Division on December 1, both the plaintiff and the defence will await the court's next decision on the convicts' appeals.