Rajuk Chairman, 4 secretaries face contempt rule

The bench of Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam and Justice Md Ashraful Kamal passed the order after a primary hearing on a contempt of court petition jointly filed by rights organisations Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST) and Safety and Rights Society (SRS) on Monday.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 28 May 2013, 10:15 AM
Updated : 28 May 2013, 10:15 AM

The court asked the five to explain within two weeks why they should not be prosecuted for committing contempt of court by failing to comply with the directives issued in 2010.

The five officials are Housing and Public Works Secretary Khandker Shawkat Hossain, Labour and Employment Secretary Mikail Shipar, Industries Secretary Mohammad Mainuddin Abdullah, Forests and Environment Secretary Shafiqur Rahman and Rajuk Chairman Nurul Huda.
Barrister Tanim Hussain Shawon and barrister Arafat Hossain Khan appeared for the petitioners.
Shawon told reporters that the High Court on Oct 13, 2010 had directed the government to establish a National Building Code Enforcement Authority within a year under the provisions of Bangladesh National Building Code.
It had ordered them to assign within three months Rajuk or any other city corporation authority to work as the code enforcement agency until the National Building Code Enforcement Authority was established, and to submit progress reports every three months to the court.
The two rights bodies – BLAST and SRS – filed the petition on May 27 stating that the five officials had not implemented the High Court directives despite being aware of them.