Charges against 12 accused in the sensational Gopal Krishna Muhuri murder case were framed by the Speedy Trial Tribunal here yesterday morning.

Judge Hasan Imam also fixed January 8 as the date for beginning of the hearing. All the 12 accused, eight of them Shibir men, had already been charge-sheeted.

Earlier, the tribunal rejected prayers of three of the accused -- Idris Miah, Zahirul Islam and Tofazzal Ahmed, all teachers of Nazirhat College -- for exemption from the proceedings of the case. The three teachers are on bail.

Seven of the 12 accused were present in the court. They are Shibir cadres Nasir alias Shibir Nasir, Baitya Alamgir, Chhoto Saiful and Taslim Uddin alias Montu -- all now in jail -- and the three teachers of Nazirhat College.

The remaining five accused are absconding and the tribunal issued warrants for their arrest. They are Mohammad Shahjahan, a suspended teacher of Nazirhat College, and Shibir cadres Nasir alias Gitthu Nasir, Azam, Habib Khan and Mohiuddin alias Moinuddin.

Gopal Krishna Muhuri, principal of Nazirhat College, was shot dead by armed miscreants at his Jamal Khan Road residence here in the port city on November 16, 2001.

Victim's wife Uma Muhuri filed the case on the next day and the detective branch of police submitted the charge sheet in the case before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's court on November 14, 2002.

The Speedy Trial Tribunal took the case into cognisance on Thursday (January 2).

Advocate Badiul Alam and Ahsanul Haq Hena appeared on behalf of the accused while special public prosecutor Quamrul Islam Sajjad appeared for the state.