Dhaka, May 27 -- The Supreme Court's Appellate Division has acquitted Jamaat-e-Islami leader ATM Azharul Islam in a war crimes case, overturning the verdict by the International Crimes Tribunal.

A seven-member full bench led by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed delivered the verdict on Tuesday.

The top court has ordered that Azharul be released if there are no cases pending against him.

Azharul was sentenced to death by the International Crimes Tribunal on Dec 30, 2014. He was found guilty of orchestrating mass killings, abduction and torture in the greater Rangpur area, where over 1,400 people were massacred in 1971.

Challenging the verdict, Azharul filed an appeal on Jan 28, 2015. However, the Appellate Division subsequently upheld hi...