The Bangladesh High Court today upheld the death sentences of 139 erstwhile Bangladesh Rifles personnel, now Border Guards, over the killing of 74 people including 57 army officers in the case of BDR Mutiny of 2009. <br/><br/>A 3-member bench headed by Justice Mohamed Shawkat Hossain delivered the verdict this afternoon following a marathon verdict announcement which actually began yesterday. <br/><br/>The gruesome case involving 850 accused is the largest single case in the history of Bangladesh.<br/><br/>The High Court also upheld the life sentences of 146 convicts for their involvement in the carnage and jail terms of 7 years of 4 convicts. 31 people acquitted by the lower court were also awarded life sentences by the High Court. <br/><br/>In November 2013, a special court of an additional metropolitan sessions judge had awarded death penalty to 150 soldiers and non-commissioned officers of BDR for the massacre. <br/><br/>160 others had been sentenced to life imprisonment while 256 were given jail terms ranging from 3-10 years. While delivering the verdict today, the court said it appears that the BDR Mutiny was a conspiracy by a vested interest to hamper the stability of the country and its socio-economic safety by destroying a trained and skilled professional force.<br/><br/>The Mutiny which raged for 2 days during Feb 25-26 of 2009 occurred barely a month after a new government headed by Sheikh Hasina took over.