Judge Mohammad Motiur Rahman of the Court of Metropolitan Sessions Judge, Dhaka, fixed the date yesterday.

The High Court (HC) Division on January 26 stayed all proceedings of the Jail Killing Case and issued a rule asking the government to explain why the case should not be heard by the HC itself.

The rule came after Zohra Tajuddin, wife of Tajuddin Ahmed, former prime minister and one of the victims of the jail killings, filed a petition with the HC for holding trial of the case in the court instead of the lower court.

In the petition, she raised the apprehension of not getting justice in the lower court.

After hearing, an HC division bench rejected the petition on August 25.

The HC observed that there was no need to transfer the case from the lower court. Earlier, the court recorded statements of 15 prosecution witnesses in the case.

National leaders Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmed, AHM Quamruzzaman and M Mansur Ali were killed inside Dhaka Central Jail on November 3, 1975.

Kazi Abdul Awal, the then deputy inspector general (prisons), filed a case with Lalbagh Police Station the following day.

Accused KM Obaidur Rahman MP, Nurul Islam Manzoor, Shah Moazzem Hossain and Maj (retd) Khairuzzaman are now on bail while Taheruddin Thakur, Lt Col (dismissed) Syed Faruk Rahman, Lt Col (retd) Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan and Maj (retd) Bazlul Huda are in the custody.

Accused Shariful Haq Dalim and 11 others have been absconding since investigation into the case began.