"We have received mercy petitions from all the six convicts and forwarded three of those to the President through the home ministry. We will send the rest three tomorrow," Inspector General of Prison Brigadier Zakir Hassan said.

Hassan said the authorities would wait for reply from the President's office and in case of rejection of the petitions, the executions would be carried out in between 21 and 28th day from the date the president's decision reached the prison.

Hassan's deputy, Major Shamsul Haider Siddiqui said the mercy petition of second in command of the outlawed Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh Siddikul Islam Bangla Bhai was received on the last day of the stipulated seven days time and it would be forwarded along with the prayers of JMB chief Shaikh Abdur Rahman and Iftekhar Al Mamun tomorrow.

On January 22, officials of Bangladesh's Supreme Court notified the jail authorities that the Appellate Division of the highest court rejected militants' appeals against the death sentences for killing of two judges in Jhalakathi on November 4, 2005.

The trial court originally handed down the death penalty to seven JMB top brass trying the seventh convict Asadul Islam Arif, who is absconding, in absentia.

A Naogaon court last week handed down death penalty to another three leaders of JMB that had vowed to establish Islamic rule of their brand carrying out a series of blasts across Bangladesh killing several people.