Top court upholds freeze on compensation for Narayanganj mosque blast victims

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has stayed a High Court order on Titas Gas to compensate the victims of the deadly blasts at a Narayanganj mosque.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 1 Dec 2020, 09:36 AM
Updated : 1 Dec 2020, 09:36 AM

A bench of four judges headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain upheld a previous stay order on Tuesday after a virtual hearing of two petitions filed by the state and Titas.

The Appellate Division has now ordered a speedy disposal of the rule issued by the High Court asking Titas why the families should not be paid Tk 5 million each.

Attorney General AM Amin Uddin represented the state, while Advocate Taimur Alam Khandaker, accompanied by the petitioner Advocate Mar-e-Um Khandaker, stood for the petitioners in court.

The High Court on Sep 9 ordered state utility Titas to pay on an emergency basis Tk 500,000 to each to the families of the 37 victims of the air-conditioner blasts at the mosque.

The chamber judge of the Supreme Court, Justice Md Nuruzzaman, on Sept 13 froze the High Court order for compensation to the blast victims. The full bench of the Appellate Division heard the petitions on Tuesday.

At least 34 people died in the near-simultaneous blasts of air-conditioners in early September. Officials and locals blamed gas leaks for the explosion.