The International Crimes Tribunal on Wednesday deferred until November 17 the hearing on framing formal charges against eight accused, including ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, in a crimes against humanity case over the killing of nine young men at Dhaka’s Kallyanpur ‘Jahaj Bari’ in 2016.

The case has remained at the charge-framing stage for more than eight months, with legal procedures, a change of tribunal and a backlog of cases contributing to delays in starting the trial.

A three-member judicial panel of International Crimes Tribunal-2, headed by Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, set the new date, after defence lawyers sought more time. The prosecution did not oppose the request, and the tribunal granted the adjournment.

Two of the accused are currently in custody: former inspector general of police AKM Shahidul Haque and former Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner Md Asaduzzaman Mia.

The six other accused are absconding. They are Sheikh Hasina, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, former DMP additional commissioner (Crime and Operations) Sheikh Mohammad Maruf Hasan, former Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) chief Monirul Islam, former DMP joint commissioner (Crime) Krishnapada Roy and former joint commissioner (Detective Branch) Abdul Baten.

The case was initially assigned to ICT-1, where the prosecution held an initial hearing on July 21. However, during the defence hearing, it was transferred to Tribunal-2, requiring the proceedings on framing formal charges to begin again and further delaying the trial.

Prosecution and related sources have also cited the tribunals’ case backlog and the prioritisation of other proceedings as factors slowing progress. The allegations are undergoing further scrutiny, they said.

According to the investigation report and prosecution allegations, nine young men were shot dead on the fifth floor of Jahaj Bari on the night of July 25, 2016, during an operation named “Storm-26”.

The prosecution alleges that madrasah students and other young men with Islamic leanings were picked up from different locations and secretly detained after criticising the then government on social media.

They were allegedly held at Jahaj Bari, which was then presented as a militant hideout before the Counter Terrorism Unit’s SWAT team conducted the operation.

The allegations further state that then CTTC chief Monirul Islam ordered the preparation of a false seizure list to conceal evidence. After the killings, then IGP AKM Shahidul Hoque reportedly informed Sheikh Hasina and Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal about the incident. The prosecution alleges that, instead of bringing those responsible to justice, they were rewarded with state honours, including the Bangladesh Police Medal (BPM) and President Police Medal (PPM).

Formal charges in cases concerning the killings of 16 young men in two separate incidents — at Jahaj Bari and Patartek in Gazipur — were filed in January and February this year.