A special tribunal in Dhaka framed charges against prime accused, Sohel Rana and his wife Swapna Khatun, in a case filed over the rape and murder of eight-year-old schoolgirl Ramisa Akter in the capital’s Pallabi area.

Sohel and Swapna pleaded not guilty after judge Masrur Salekin of the Children Violence Suppression Tribunal in Dhaka Metropolitan read out charges to them, said bench assistant Pankoj Peter Gomes.

The judge also set tomorrow for starting the trial with deposition of the victim's father Abdul Hannan Mollah, he added.

On May 24, Sub-Inspector of Pallabi Police Station Ohiduzzaman submitted the charge sheet before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court in Dhaka.

The charge sheet accused Sohel, 31, of rape, murder and destruction of evidence, while Swapna, 26, was charged with destruction of evidence and providing false information.

Later that day, the CMM Court transferred the case to the Children Violence Suppression Tribunal for trial.

Ramisa, a second-grade student of Popular Model High School, was found beheaded after being raped and killed in the house of her neighbour Sohel on May 19.

The following day, Ramisa's father Abdul Hannan filed a case with Pallabi Police Station, accusing the couple and an unidentified person.

According to the case statement, Sohel lured Ramisa into his room, raped her and later killed her. Investigators said he attempted to dismember the body to conceal the crime.

On May 22, the Dhaka Bar Association decided not to provide legal assistance to the accused following an emergency virtual meeting of its executive committee, citing the gravity of the allegations.

The next day, the government appointed Supreme Court lawyer Musa Kalimullah as a state defence counsel to represent the accused, aiming to ensure a fair trial.