Dhaka, May 8 -- The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has completed hearing Jamaat-e-Islami leader ATM Azharul Islam's review petition against his death sentence in a case over crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War.

The top court has scheduled May 27 for the verdict in the case.

Earlier, a five-member Appellate Division bench led by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed granted Azharul's petition to review the verdict and scheduled a hearing for Apr 22.

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 ...