Dhaka, Aug. 1 -- The Appellate Division has reduced the death sentences of Sharifa Begum and Abdus Samad Azad who were in condemned cells for 24 years over the murder of a woman, to imprisonment until death, ordering their quick transfer to a regular jail cell.

A four-strong appellate bench led by Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan announced the verdict on Thursday.

Advocate Mohammad Shishir Manir represented the condemned cell inmates during the hearing.

He said the woman and another man named Abdus Samad Azad have been serving jail time in a condemned cell for 24 years, a record in Bangladesh.

On Wednesday, the chief justice ordered the case to be put at the top of Thursday's cause list.

The issue drew the attention of the chief justice ...