The International Crimes Tribunal-1 on Wednesday deferred the verdict in a crimes against humanity case against former Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner Habibur Rahman and four other officers over killings and injuries in the capital’s Rampura area during the 2024 July uprising.

The three-judge tribunal, led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder, suspended the pronouncement of the verdict, scheduled for Wednesday, and fixed April 9 for recording additional evidence.

The order came after prosecutor Shyikh Mahdi sought time for five weeks to submit what he described as ‘strong’ digital evidence.

Chief prosecutor Md Aminul Islam later told New Age that the prosecution would place the new evidence on April 9.

The tribunal would then record depositions, allow cross-examination by the defence, and later fix a new date for the verdict.

Aminul said that the prosecution was empowered to submit additional evidence at any stage if important material had been left out.

After joining the tribunal on February 23, after the formation of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led government, Aminul said that he began reviewing pending cases. During the review of the Rampura case, prosecutors found a video recording of what he described as an ‘extrajudicial confession’ by accused Chanchal Chandra Sarkar, a former assistant sub-inspector at the Rampura police outpost.

‘In the video, he speaks about how he fired and under whose instructions,’ Aminul said, adding that the footage had not been submitted earlier inadvertently.

He said that the new evidence would strengthen the prosecution’s case.

The case accused five people of crimes against humanity over the killing of two individuals and the injury of another during the uprising.

Only Chanchal is currently in custody. The other accused, Habibur Rahman, former additional deputy commissioner for Khilgaon zone Md Rashedul Islam, former Rampura police station officer-in-charge Md Mashiur Rahman and former sub-inspector Tarikul Islam Bhuiyan, are still absconding.

Arguments in the case concluded on February 3.

The defence sought acquittal for Chanchal, while prosecutors demanded the maximum punishment for all five accused.

According to the case documents, on July 19, 2024, Amir Hossain was shot while trying to escape a police attack in Rampura. He had climbed onto an under-construction building near the Banasree–Meradia road. Police allegedly fired at him while he was hanging from rods on the rooftop.

On the same day, Nadim and Maya Islam were killed in police firing in the Banasree area.

The tribunal had framed charges on September 18, 2025 and later scheduled March 4 for delivering the verdict.