Dhaka: The High Court on Tuesday directed government to appoint lawyers who would stand in the court for five absconding death‐row convicts in connection with the sensational Narayanganj seven‐murder cases.

The HC bench of Justice Jahangir Hossain Selim and Justice Md Jahangir Hossain passed the order asking the solicitor department of Law Ministry to appoint the lawyers within seven days.

The absconding convicts are—Sainik Mohiuddin Munshi, Sainik Alamin Sharif, Sainik Tajul Islam, and Selim, Sanaullah Sana and Shahjahan, aides of death row convict and ex‐councillor of Narayanganj City Corporation Nur Hossain.

The HC also accepted a petition filed by convict Sainik Abdul Alim after his surrender challenging the lower court order, for hearing.

A Narayanganj court on January 16 last sentenced 26 people, including three sacked RAB officials and ex‐city councillor Nur Hossain, to death and nine others to different jail terms in the two cases filed over the sensational seven‐murder incident.

On February 8, the High Court accepted appeals of 15 condemned convicts, including Nur Hossain and three sacked RAB‐11 officials, challenging their death penalty.

On April 27, 2014, Narayanganj panel mayor Nazrul Islam, his three associates and driver were abducted from Fatullah area.

At the same time, senior lawyer at the District Judge’s Court Chandan Kumar Sarkar and his driver were also abducted on their way to Dhaka.

Three days after their abduction, bodies of six men, including those of Nazrul and Chandan, were recovered from the River Shitalakhya.

On the following day, the body of Nazrul’s car driver Jahangir was recovered from the river.

Later, Selina Islam Beauty, the widow of Nazrul Islam, filed a case against six people while Advocate Chandan Sarkar’s son‐in‐law filed another case.