Dhaka: The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Thursday fixed May 14 to hear the two review petitions—one filed by the government and the other by convicted war criminal Delwar Hossain Sayedee—against its earlier verdict in a war crimes case.

A four‐member bench led by Chief Justice SK Sinha fixed the date following a time petition filed by Sayedee’s lawyer Khandaker Mahbub Hossain.

A five‐member bench of the Appellate Division is likely to hear the petitions on that day.

On 28 February, 2013, the International Crimes Tribunal‐1 sentenced Sayedee to death for his crimes against humanity during the Liberation War in 1971.

On 28 March, 2013, Sayedee filed an appeal with the apex court seeking acquittal from the charges, while the government on the same day separately appealed to the Supreme Court demanding capital punishment in all the eight charges he faced.

The SC on 31 December, 2015 released the full text of its verdict commuting Sayedee’s death penalty to jail unto death in the case. It pronounced its verdict on 17 September, 2014.

On 12 January last year, the prosecution filed a review petition seeking death penalty for the influential Jamaat leader.

On 17 January, Sayedee filed a plea seeking review of the SC verdict. In the petition, he sought acquittal in all the charges in which he was found guilty.

According to the prosecution, Sayedee was involved in crimes like killing, looting, rape and forcefully converting Hindus to Muslims in Parerhat of Pirojpur.