American Centre attack convict to be shifted from special cell to ordinary one

Kolkata, May 14 A division bench comprising Justices D P Sengupta and P K Deb today ordered to shift Hasrat Alam, a convict in the American Centre attack case, from the special cell for convicts on a death row to an ordinary cell. The bench also asked the department of the High Court that deals in criminal cases to expedite Alam’s transfer.

In April, 2004, the City Civil Court had awarded death sentence to Hasrat, following which he had filed an appeal in the High Court challenging the decision. But the appeal did not come up for hearing in the High Court.

Alam’s lawyer, advocate Jayanta Narayan Chatterjee, had moved a plea before the court that Hasrat was lodged in the cell illegally for the last four years.

In support of his arguments, he cited an order passed by the Supreme Court which says that a convict should not be confined to a special cell for an unlimited period while the appeal is pending in the High Court.

The High Court always affirms the death sentence after a judgment is passed by the sessions court.