The convicts with death sentence are M Abdul Kader, former relief and social welfare secretary of the Awami League city unit, Sheikh Shawkat Ahmed Ruhul and Sheikh Kabir Ahmed. Kabir has been absconding since the 18-year-old marketing student of City College was raped and killed in Hazipara on June 1, 2000.

The Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-3, Dhaka also fined the death penalty convicts Tk 1 lakh each.

The court handed down life imprisonment to Runu Kader, wife of death-penalty convict Kader, who will have to serve two years more in failure to pay Tk 1 lakh in fines.

Two others of the six accused Kaniz Fatema alias Hena, sister-in-law of Kader, and Sufia Begum, their domestic help, were cleared of the charges.

The murder of Bushra ranked second among 198 cases, which are under review of the home ministry's monitoring cell. Different courts have so far handed down verdicts on 21 cases, including the killing of Bushra, nicknamed Phool.

Judge Sarkar Abul Mansur Ahmed asked the authorities to issue warrant of arrest against the fugitives Kabir and Runu and set the acquitted free, if not wanted in any other case.

Kader, Ruhul, Hena and Sufia were in the dock during the announcement of the verdict.

The convicts can appeal to the High Court against the judgement in seven days. The punishment will be effective from the day of their arrest, the court said.

The judge completed the hearing on June 17 in the absence of two of the accused, with 17 of the 34 witnesses examined. The verdict was delivered after 49 workdays of the trial that began on August 4 last year.

The investigation officer of the case dropped Runu Kader from the chargesheet, but the court included her upon a prayer while framing charges on August 4, 2002.

Kader and Ruhul appeared calm during announcement of the verdict, but Hena shouted in apparent anger after the judge left the courtroom. Hena also passed out in the courthouse when the judge was reading out the highlights of the judgement, which took him one hour since 12:02pm.

Bushra, daughter of late Serajul Islam, was killed over a land grab move by the convicts. Islam was a retired assistant superintendent of police.

Bushra's mother Laila Islam filed the case with the Khilgaon Police Station without accusing anybody, a day after the killing, and filed a supplementary first information report accusing the six people in September 2000.