"The public would lose trust in the judiciary if the convicts are let off despite the nature of their crimes," the court observed.
Dead bodies of seven people, including city councillor Nazrul Islam and senior lawyer Chandan Kumar Sarkar, had washed up on the bank of river Shitalakhhya at Bandar Upazila, three days after they were abducted from the city on Apr 27 of 2014.
The discovery sent the nation into shock and eventually made international headlines after the police found several members of the Rapid Action Battalion or RAB involved in the murders.
The High Court has upheld death for three former senior officers of the local RAB-11 unit, including its then chief, former army lieutenant colonel Tarek Sayeed Mohammad. He is son-in-law to disaster management minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya.
The other two are former major Arif Hossain and former lieutenant commander Masud Rana.
They had carried out the murders after being paid to do so by former Narayanganj councillor Nur Hossain, whose death by hanging was also confirmed by court on Tuesday.
The killers' primary target was councillor Nazrul, a rival of Nur Hossain, but the other victims, that included Nazrul's associates, were abducted along with him while they were returning from court.
Lawyer Chandan Sarkar and his driver were abducted and killed for having witnessed the abduction of Nazrul and his associates at Fatulla's Lamparha on Dhaka-Narayanganj Link road.
On Jan 16, a Narayanganj court handed the death penalty to 26 and various prison terms to nine others in the case.
Of the 35 accused in the murder, 25 were law enforcement personnel.
The High Court in its observation said RAB is a special law-enforcing agency tasked with securing the life and livelihood of the people. "But some of its members got involved in these gruesome killings, a crime for which they have faced judgement."
"The public have enough faith in the agencies that give them security. The entire agency cannot be blamed for the action of a few of its members," the court said.
"Their reckless action should not be allowed to taint the proud achievements of the force. Their contribution in combating terror cannot be undermined. But the actions of its members create fear in the heart of the public. Their acts showed the highest form of cruelty."
The victims in death suffered 'horrible, unthinkable' pain, it said.
"The RAB members were so cruel that after killing the victims they used knives to cut open their lower abdomen and tied a pack of 10 bricks with their bodies so that they drown when dumped in the river."
Councillor Nazrul's wife Selina Islam Beauty, after coming out of the courtroom, said she was satisfied with the verdict. "Their punishment suits their heinous acts."
She hoped the High Court verdict would be upheld in the Supreme Court.
The lawyer for Nur Hossain, whose client had escaped to India but was later brought back to the country, said he would file an appeal over the verdict. "We will seek a stay on this order even before the full copy of the verdict is published," said SRM Lutfur Rahman.
The High Court judges began reading the verdict at 10am. They had first refused to allow journalists to enter the courtroom, but later let 10 reporters in.
After an hour's break at noon, the court finished reading its verdict on the sensational case at 4pm.
"Nur Hossain illegally transacted money with former Lt Col Tarek Sayeed, former army major Arif Hossain and former navy Lt commander Masud Rana. Nur Hossain is the mastermind of these murders," the High Court said.
The defence had argued that investigators did not have proof of money being exchanged between the defendants."RAB's former ADC Ziaul Hasan had questioned Major Arif about the money. And Nazrul Islam's father-in-law Shahidul Islam met Tarek Sayeed and told him that they were willing to pay more than Nur Hossain to secure Nazrul's release," the court observed.
"This proves that these murders were committed for money. Illegal transactions rarely leave behind evidence."
The court said it reduced sentences for 11 convicts from death to life imprisonment considering "the nature of their involvement in the murders".
"It is rational that they receive life imprisonment. Death penalty would have been too harsh a sentence."
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