"On receiving a jail appeal from Khaled Saifullah, we have sent a letter to the home ministry and its copies to the jail authorities asking to stay execution of his death sentence," Fazlul Karim, registrar of the Supreme Court, told The Daily Star.

While Rafiqul Islam, elder brother of militant kingpin Bangla Bhai, yesterday submitted necessary papers to the sub-jail authorities in Mirpur for filing the application for a leave to appeal.

The authorities will forward the papers to the Supreme Court today after taking Bangla Bhai's signature, Rafiqul said.

Bangla Bhai has already consented to filing an appeal against the death sentence, he quoted the jail authorities as saying.

Khaled Saifullah, a Majlish-e-Shura (the highest policymaking body) member of banned Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), submitted the appeal through the authorities of Rangpur jail.

"The regular appeal has been filed by his (Khaled Saifullah) lawyer," Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Helal Uddin Mollah told The Daily Star.

Helal, quoting from the jail appeal petition of Khaled Saifullah, said the three-page petition referred to the militant's demand in the lower court in Jhalakathi as well as in the High Court for a trial by an Islami Jury Board as per the Islamic Shariah Law.

"Besides, he filed a regular appeal challenging the High Court ruling that upheld the lower court's verdict condemning to death seven JMB leaders including him," Helal added.

"It's a contradiction that Saifullah while calling for a trial by an Islamic jury is filing a regular appeal, recognising the existing judicial system," observed the deputy attorney general.

Advocate Sufia Khatun, counsel for Khaled Saifullah, yesterday said they have filed criminal miscellaneous petition for a leave to appeal as they have yet to get the certified copy of the High Court verdict.

"We will file the regular appeal after getting the certified copy of the High Court verdict," she said.

Meanwhile, Rafiqul Islam said they learned about Bangla Bhai's wish to file an appeal against the death sentence yesterday morning from the jail authorities.

"Following instructions from the jail authorities, we submitted necessary papers to them and the process is now underway," he said adding that the jail authorities did not allow them to meet Bangla Bhai though.

"We have plans to file a regular appeal as well in the Supreme Court through a lawyer," he added.

On May 29, a trial court in Jhalakathi handed down death sentences to the seven JMB leaders for killing two judges of the district court and on August 31, the High Court upheld the verdict. Of the convicts, Arifur Rahman is still at large while the rest are behind bars.

None of the militant leaders appointed any lawyer during their trial in the lower court and High Court saying that they are against the existing worldly juridical system and their move was to establish Islamic Shariah Laws.

Iftekhar Mamun, who committed the murders through blasting bombs, has already filed a jail appeal.

The other three--Abdur Rahman, Ataur Rahman Sunny and Abdul Awal--have yet to file any leave to appeal petition.