The Appellate Division has acquitted Khan Akram of Bagerhat, who had previously been sentenced to death in a case over crimes against humanity committed during the 1971 Liberation War. The verdict was delivered on Thursday by a bench led by Chief Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury. Chief Prosecutor Md. Aminul Islam represented the state during the hearing. Earlier, the court had fixed the day for delivering its judgment on the appeal filed by Khan Akram Hossain, who had been sentenced to life imprisonment in connection with the same case. On August 11, 2015, International Crimes Tribunal-1 sentenced Sheikh Sirajul Haque, also known as Siraj Master of Bagerhat, to death, while awarding life imprisonment to Khan Md. Akram Hossain for crimes against humanity. On the day of the original verdict, both Siraj and Akram were produced before the tribunal. According to the tribunal’s observations, out of six charges brought against Sirajul Haque, five were proven, and out of three charges against Akram, one was proven. Siraj was handed the death penalty for the five proven charges, with the order specifying execution by firing squad or hanging. Akram received life imprisonment for the single proven charge. Khan Akram later filed an appeal challenging the verdict. Another accused in the case, Abdul Latif Talukdar, was dropped from the proceedings after he died during the trial. With the latest ruling of the Appellate Division acquitting Khan Akram, a significant chapter in the long-running judicial process has come to an end. The verdict has sparked renewed discussion among legal circles and observers regarding the adjudication of crimes against humanity cases stemming from the Liberation War era.