The High Court on Tuesday called 'thieves' all those who got plots in Tejgaon commercial area through 'illegal' allocation of lands meant for construction of roads under the Hatirjheel-Begunbari project in Dhaka.
Journalist Shafiq Rehman, former BNP-led coalition government State Ministers Maj (Retd) Kamrul Islam and Ziaul Haque Zia were present when the bench of justices A H M Shamsuddin Chowdhury and Jahangir Hossain made the comment.
All three were summoned to explain how they were allotted the plots. The bench also ordered the Cabinet Secretary to launch high-powered investigation into the affair.
LGRD Secretary Abu Alam Shahid Khan, Law Secretary Ashish Ranjan Das, home ministry's Joint Secretary (Police) Nazim Uddin and External Resources Division Secretary Iqbal Mahmood are to be kept in the investigation committee.
The committee has been told to check whether the plots were given legally, what procedure was followed for allocation and whether environment ministry's clearance was taken and submit a detailed report on their findings.
The Anti-Corruption Commission Director General has also been instructed to check whether there was any corruption during the allocation.
Both the committee and the ACC were told to submit their findings by July 15.
Rehman, Islam and Zia were also ordered to submit a list of their moveable assets in the form of an affidavit to the court by that time.
The bench on May 9 issued a rule on its own volition after Assistant Attorney General Yadiya Zaman produced the two newspaper reports and an essay before the court. It also stayed constructions on the plot, which has never been in the plan of the Hateerjhil-Begunbari project.
The two former State Ministers appeared before the court on May 16 on receiving a summons. The court on that day also asked the former editor of Bengali-language daily Jaijaidin, Shafiq Rehman, to appear before it.
"Those who have grabbed the land are thieves, all are thieves. Those who have owned the land and those who distributed them are all thieves," Justice A H M Shamsuddin Chowdhury said at one point of the hearing.
He continued that the correct method of allocating plots is the way capital development authority RAJUK does, which invites applications through advertisement.
"In this case, you will have to give advertisements too, whether it is in the newspapers or on televisions. Those who will take land without advertisements are all thieves. As this is the property of the people, you cannot take it without informing them."
"We will dig deep into this incident. No matter how powerful, we will not let anyone get away. If there is a single lie in the affidavit, then that will mean a five-year term in prison," the judge said, warning the trio.
A report titled 'Road becomes plot' published in the daily Kaler Kantha newspaper on Feb 27, 2010, another published in the daily Shamakal on Mar 27 the same year styled 'Road project becomes industrial plot overnight' and an essay published in the daily Shamakal by Abu Sayeed Khan led the court to issue the suo moto order.
The Kaler Kantha reported, after turning the 60-feet wide road of Tejgaon industrial area into an industrial plot, each katha of the land was sold for Tk 1.5 lakh as against the existing market value of at least Tk 1 crore.
The court also ordered Director General of Anti-Corruption Commission to explain why the court should not order it to act against those who sold the plots at lower prices only for the sake of completing the procedure.
RAJUK has been asked to explain in two weeks why allocation of land, meant for road, as plots should not be declared illegal and cancelled.
Report on Rehman's 'corruption'
The court also ordered the Bangladeshi High Commission in the UK to file a report on the fund-raising for the flood-affected in Bangladesh by London-based radio Spectrum and how the money was spent.
Shafiq Rehman co-owns the radio station.
It also asked the High Commissioner to include the current state of Scotland Yard's probe into the issue.
The order came after Deputy Attorney General A B M Altaf Hossain pointed out to the court at Tuesday's hearing that the journalist also ran a fund-raising campaign in London for the flood-affected, funds of which never reached Bangladesh.
Journalist Shafiq Rehman, former BNP-led coalition government State Ministers Maj (Retd) Kamrul Islam and Ziaul Haque Zia were present when the bench of justices A H M Shamsuddin Chowdhury and Jahangir Hossain made the comment.
All three were summoned to explain how they were allotted the plots. The bench also ordered the Cabinet Secretary to launch high-powered investigation into the affair.
LGRD Secretary Abu Alam Shahid Khan, Law Secretary Ashish Ranjan Das, home ministry's Joint Secretary (Police) Nazim Uddin and External Resources Division Secretary Iqbal Mahmood are to be kept in the investigation committee.
The committee has been told to check whether the plots were given legally, what procedure was followed for allocation and whether environment ministry's clearance was taken and submit a detailed report on their findings.
The Anti-Corruption Commission Director General has also been instructed to check whether there was any corruption during the allocation.
Both the committee and the ACC were told to submit their findings by July 15.
Rehman, Islam and Zia were also ordered to submit a list of their moveable assets in the form of an affidavit to the court by that time.
The bench on May 9 issued a rule on its own volition after Assistant Attorney General Yadiya Zaman produced the two newspaper reports and an essay before the court. It also stayed constructions on the plot, which has never been in the plan of the Hateerjhil-Begunbari project.
The two former State Ministers appeared before the court on May 16 on receiving a summons. The court on that day also asked the former editor of Bengali-language daily Jaijaidin, Shafiq Rehman, to appear before it.
"Those who have grabbed the land are thieves, all are thieves. Those who have owned the land and those who distributed them are all thieves," Justice A H M Shamsuddin Chowdhury said at one point of the hearing.
He continued that the correct method of allocating plots is the way capital development authority RAJUK does, which invites applications through advertisement.
"In this case, you will have to give advertisements too, whether it is in the newspapers or on televisions. Those who will take land without advertisements are all thieves. As this is the property of the people, you cannot take it without informing them."
"We will dig deep into this incident. No matter how powerful, we will not let anyone get away. If there is a single lie in the affidavit, then that will mean a five-year term in prison," the judge said, warning the trio.
A report titled 'Road becomes plot' published in the daily Kaler Kantha newspaper on Feb 27, 2010, another published in the daily Shamakal on Mar 27 the same year styled 'Road project becomes industrial plot overnight' and an essay published in the daily Shamakal by Abu Sayeed Khan led the court to issue the suo moto order.
The Kaler Kantha reported, after turning the 60-feet wide road of Tejgaon industrial area into an industrial plot, each katha of the land was sold for Tk 1.5 lakh as against the existing market value of at least Tk 1 crore.
The court also ordered Director General of Anti-Corruption Commission to explain why the court should not order it to act against those who sold the plots at lower prices only for the sake of completing the procedure.
RAJUK has been asked to explain in two weeks why allocation of land, meant for road, as plots should not be declared illegal and cancelled.
Report on Rehman's 'corruption'
The court also ordered the Bangladeshi High Commission in the UK to file a report on the fund-raising for the flood-affected in Bangladesh by London-based radio Spectrum and how the money was spent.
Shafiq Rehman co-owns the radio station.
It also asked the High Commissioner to include the current state of Scotland Yard's probe into the issue.
The order came after Deputy Attorney General A B M Altaf Hossain pointed out to the court at Tuesday's hearing that the journalist also ran a fund-raising campaign in London for the flood-affected, funds of which never reached Bangladesh.
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