Dhaka: A Dhaka court has acquitted cricketer Nasir Hossain and his wife Tamima Sultana Tammi in a case over allegedly marrying before Tamima legally dissolving her previous marriage.
Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Jashita Islam delivered the verdict in the widely-discussed case on Wednesday.
Tamima’s ex-husband Rakib Hossain filed the case against them, alleging adultery. The court has acquitted the couple more than four years after the trial began.
Nasir and Tamima were present in the courtroom when the verdict was announced. After their acquittal, they pushed through a large crowd to leave.
Expressing satisfaction with the verdict, Nasir and Tamima’s lawyer Azizur Rahman Dulu said, “Among the findings on which the court gave this verdict, the most notable is that Rakib and Tamima’s divorce was properly implemented.
“Neither of the two accused went to the place mentioned by the plaintiff. The things that make up a crime – the place of occurrence, the time of occurrence, the manner of occurrence – how can any of those things happen if neither Nasir or Tamima ever went there? The court has acquitted both the accused with these findings.”
Meanwhile, the plaintiff expressed his anger with the decision, saying they plan to appeal to the High Court.
After the verdict, Rakib said: “What the judge said while announcing the verdict today seemed as if it was pre-planned. She gave the verdict after only speaking a few words. There were different pieces of evidence in the case, there were 10 witnesses, but she did not read out any of it. I am not satisfied with this verdict.
“We were 100 percent sure that we would get justice because we proved in court with all the evidence that they committed the crime. But I have told her (lawyer Ishrat Hasan) before that they are powerful, the current BCB chief is his (Nasir’s) friend. They have a lot of links to lobbyists. With one phone call from them, a lot could be achieved which would not have been possible even if we tried 1,000 times. Even after that, I came to court with respect for the law, but that did not happen.”
Rakib’s lawyer Ishrat said: “Rakib Hasan said from the beginning that since he has no money, there will be no justice. Despite this, we gave him assurances. The court did not take the case into direct consideration, ordering the PBI to investigate. The PBI filed a charge sheet against them after receiving the evidence.
“Ten witnesses testified in court. When Tamima gave her exculpatory testimony, we cross-examined her. During the cross-examination, Tamima confessed to many things. But the court today acquitted both of them, stating the operative issues. We do not have the detailed verdict in our hands.”
She said, “We are aggrieved that such a verdict was given without applying a judicial mind despite having proper evidence. We have not received justice. I will appeal this verdict at the High Court.”
Case Summary
According to the case documents, Tamima married Rakib Hasan on Feb 26, 2011. The couple have an 8-year-old daughter.
The complaint alleges that while that marriage remained legally valid, Tamima married Nasir on Feb 14, 2020.
Rakib became aware of the marriage after photographs of Tamima and Nasir’s wedding circulated online on Feb 14, 2021.
He later filed the case with the Chief Metropolitan Magistrates’ Court in Dhaka on Feb 24 that year.
On Sept 30, 2021, investigating officer Sheikh Mizanur Rahman submitted a report naming Nasir, Tamima and Tamima’s mother Sumi Akter as the accused.
On Feb 9, 2022, the court framed charges against Nasir and Tamima and ordered the trial to begin.
Sumi was discharged from the case.
On Mar 6 that year, defence lawyer Kazi Najibullah Hiru filed a revision petition before the Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court challenging the order framing charges against Nasir and Tamima.
The complainant’s lawyer also filed a revision petition challenging the order that discharged Sumi.
Both petitions were rejected on Feb 28, 2023, removing legal obstacles to the trial.
The trial formally began on Mar 20 that year with the testimony of complainant Rakib.
The recording of evidence concluded on Apr 16, 2025. The court heard testimony from 10 witnesses in total.
The suspects gave statements in their defence on Mar 10, maintaining their innocence and seeking justice.
On Mar 30, former Saudia Airlines cabin crew member Tamima testified in her own defence.
She told the court that she had legally divorced Rakib because of “marital and psychological incompatibility” before marrying Nasir.
The trial began after charges were framed against Nasir under Sections 497 and 498 of the Penal Code and against Tamima under Sections 494, 468 and 471.
Lawyer Israt had said Nasir could face a maximum sentence of seven years in prison, while Tamima could face up to 21 years if all charges are proven.
Expressing dissatisfaction with the verdict, Ishrat said, “The PBI investigation report showed that Tamima Sultana married Nasir Hossain without divorcing the plaintiff Rakib Hasan. All the documents from 2016 were created through forgery.
“The DGM of the Directorate of Posts came to the court to testify in his favour and said that they investigated the matter. After investigating, they found that those postal receipts did not belong to the Directorate of Posts. There is a clear allegation of fraud here. They gave clear testimony about the creation of fake papers. Not only that, but the court has all the information and evidence of their relationship multiple times.”
She said, “The two chairmen came to testify in court and said that they did not receive any kind of notice (divorce notice). Tamima Sultana said in her cross-examination that she did not send any kind of notice to the city corporation or the chairman.
“Our position is that if you can be acquitted by creating fake documents without sending a notice, then this will set a harmful example for society. Therefore, we will appeal against the verdict in the High Court as soon as the details of the verdict in the case are known. We believe that the accused should be given a fair trial.”
