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Seeking their discharge, he argued the charges lacked specificity, noting that dates and times were described as “approximate”, which, he said, is insufficient under the law.

The seven officers, who previously served in Rab, are among the 17 accused in the case, which also names former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and Hasina’s former military adviser Tarique Ahmed Siddique. Ten army officers are currently in custody.

The case concerns the alleged enforced disappearance, secret detention and torture of 14 individuals between 2016 and 2024 at the TFI cell operated under Rab.

Tabarak also argued that only army officers were named as accused, despite DIG-rank police officers allegedly overseeing the centre at times when four Rab additional directors general (operations) -- now accused -- were either on leave or abroad during the alleged incidents. He sought three months to review more than 1,600 pages of case documents.

Opposing the plea, Prosecutor Gazi Monawar Hossain Tamim said there was prima facie evidence linking the accused to abduction, confinement, torture and enforced disappearance, and urged the tribunal to frame charges.

Defence counsels for three other detained army officers are scheduled to present discharge arguments on December 21.

Lawyers for Sheikh Hasina and other absconding accused also sought discharge, with Hasina’s lawyer Amir Hossain saying the prosecution failed to produce any written or audio-visual evidence of her directives.

After hearing both sides, the three-member tribunal led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder set December 21 for its order on charge framing.