‘How is he still holding office?’

The High Court yesterday (Thursday) wanted to know under what authority land secretary Md Maksudur Rahman Patwary has been holding the office and what steps have been taken against him after he confessed that his family members are using three cars of the land ministry.

The court issued a rule asking the government, Anti-Corruption Corruption and Maksudur Rahman Patwary to explain in four weeks under what authority Maksudur has been holding the office of land secretary, even after he reportedly confessed irregularities of his using cars of the ministry.

In the rule, the HC asked the government and ACC to show causes why they should not be directed to take appropriate legal action against Maksudur.

The bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman also ordered the government and ACC to submit separate reports to the court in 45 days about steps taken against him.

The bench came up with the rule and order following a writ petition filed by one Md Habibur Rahman, a resident of Kadamtali of Jatrabari area in Dhaka.

Petitioner's lawyer Jamiul Hoque Faisal told The Daily Star that Bangla daily Jugantor on October 22 published a report that stated Maksudur and his family members were using cars of the ministry.

Maksudur confessed to irregularities to the newspaper, saying around 90 percent of government secretaries use cars of the government, he said.

Jamiul Hoque said using government cars for personal work by the family members of a government official is illegal.

AKM Fazlul Hoque, a lawyer for the ACC, told this correspondent that Maksudur's family used two government cars. Besides, he purchased another car after taking an official loan from the bank, but he collected Tk 50,000 per month for its maintenance cost, suppressing the information of taking loan, he added.