A Dhaka court on Thursday deferred the submission of the investigation report into the murder of journalist couple Sagar Sarwar and Meherun Runi for the 126th time and set June 18 as the new date.

The report was scheduled to be submitted that day, but the investigation officer of the case, Md Azizul Haque, additional superintendent of police at the Police Bureau of Investigation, failed to do so.

Dhaka metropolitan magistrate Ariful Islam set the new date.

‘We got a six-month time from the High Court. A high-powered task force headed by the PBI chief, also an additional inspector general of police, is also working on the issue. I informed the court that the case is still under investigation,’ Azizul told New Age.

On April 26, the High Court granted a high-powered task force six more months to complete the investigation into the murder of journalist couple Sagar and Runi.

The journalist couple was murdered at their rented flat at West Rajabazar in the capital Dhaka on February 11, 2012, in the presence of their son Mahir Sarwar Megh.

Runi’s brother Nawser Alam filed a murder case with the Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police station in this connection.

At that time, the Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police was entrusted with investigating the murder. The case was later transferred to the Rapid Action Battalion, which also failed to submit the investigation report to the court despite taking time extensions 111 times over 12 years.

On September 30, 2024, the High Court ordered the formation of a high-powered task force through the home affairs ministry to investigate the case, removing the RAB from the investigation.

The government, through a notification from the home ministry, formed a four-member task force on October 23, 2024, to investigate the double murder.