The High Court has issued a rule over reported illegal occupation of a house of Public Works Department (PWD) by Abdus Salam Murshedy, ruling Awami League MP from Khulna-4 constituency and senior vice-president of Bangladesh Football Federation.
The higher court issued the rule on Tuesday (November 1) asking as to why the inaction of the authorities concerned in recovering the house in Gulshan in the capital will not be declared illegal.
The HC bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Khizir Hayat issued the rule following a preliminary hearing on a writ petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer Barrister Syed Sayedul Haque Suman.
The HC bench also directed the PWD, the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) and the ruling party MP to submit all property related documents to the court within 10 days.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has also been made a respondent to the rule.
The court, however, fixed November 13 for the next hearing.
Barrister Syed Sayedul Haque Suman represented the writ petition in the court, while Deputy Attorney General AKM Amin Uddin Manik represented the state and Md Khurshid Alam Khan represented the ACC.
Earlier on October 30, Barrister Sayedul Haque Suman submitted the writ petition to the High Court seeking necessary directives from the HC to recover the house allegedly occupied by Abdus Salam Murshedy in Gulshan illegally, and investigation into the matter.
The lawyer submitted the writ petition as a public interest litigation, also requesting the HC to direct the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to dispose of the application he placed on August 11 for conducting an inquiry into this issue and taking necessary steps against the persons involved in handover of the property to Absus Salam Murshedy.
Barrister Sayedul Haque Suman alleged that the abandoned house in Gulshan is the property of the Ministry of Housing and Public Works Department but the Khulna-4 MP illegally occupied it with the help of Rajuk.
According to the writ petition, the house no 29 on road no 104 at Gulshan-2 is listed as abandoned by the government in 1986. “Salam Murshedy’s house in Gulshan is listed as abandoned property but he is living there. The Ministry of Public Works asked the Rajuk Chairman about the matter in 2015 and 2016, but no response was given. The ministry again wrote to Rajuk on July 4, asking about the issuance of the land and the document, which has not been answered yet,” says the writ petition.
Citing the writ petition, Barrister Sayedul Haque Suman told media that he collected documents through different sources, including social media, and found that the Rajuk has given the ownership of the luxurious house of Housing and Public Works department to Abdus Salam Murshedy by making forged documents.
“I have submitted an application to the ACC on August 11 for taking appropriate action through conducting an inquiry into this issue. But the ACC is yet to settle my application and that is why, I filed the writ petition with the High Court seeking necessary directives,” he said.