A court in Bangladesh's capital Dhaka on Tuesday awarded death to 151 guards of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), previously known as Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), who in February 2009 staged a two-day horrendous mutiny in the country's paramilitary force's headquarters.

Two leaders of the ruling of Bangladesh Awami League party and opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party are among 158 people who were sentenced to life imprisonment in the 2009 BDR mutiny murder case.

Another 271 were acquitted of all charges.

The court also awarded jail terms ranging from three years to 10 years to 251 border guards.

The court of Dhaka's Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md Akhtaruzzaman, which started delivering the verdict at around 12: 30 pm local time on Tuesday, handed down sentences to 831 accused till 3:15 pm local time.

The Bangladeshi government had earlier decided to try the accused for such offenses as killings, attempted murder, looting and arson committed during the mutiny under the penal code.

Other offenses like breach of discipline and defying superiors' orders at the BGB headquarters in Dhaka and other stations of the force across the country under BDR laws through formation of the special courts.

The maximum punishment under the penal code is death sentence, while under the BDR laws it is seven years' imprisonment.

During the bloody mutiny, 74 people dead, including 57 officers deputed from Army.

The paramilitary force's chief, Major General Shakil Ahmed, was among those killed.

During the mutiny, nearly 8,000 BDR personnel were present at the headquarters of the paramilitary force which, with around 67, 000 members, is guarding the South Asian country's long border line of 4,427 km with India and Myanmar.