SC stays HC order on Titas to pay Tk 5 lakh for each victim
The Supreme Court yesterday stayed till December 1 a High Court order that asked Titas Gas Ltd to give Tk 5 lakh as initial costs to each family of the victims, who died and suffered burn injuries in the Narayanganj mosque blast.
Chamber judge of the SC's Appellate Division passed the order following a petition filed by Titas, seeking stay on the HC order. The judge also sent the stay petition to its full bench for hearing.
Titas Gas lawyer AM Amin Uddin told The Daily Star that his client does not need to give Tk 5 lakh to each victim following the order.
During the hearing, he told the SC that the HC has delivered the order without hearing Titas' arguments. It has not been determined whether Titas is responsible for the explosion, as no probe report is yet to be found, he argued.
Titas' another lawyer Mejbahur Rahman also made similar remarks.
Following the petition filed by SC lawyer and a resident of Narayanganj Mar-um Khondaker, the HC on September 9 directed Titas to give Tk 5 lakh as initial costs in seven days to each family of the victims.
The HC also issued a rule asking the authorities concerned of the government and Titas Gas to explain why the Titas authorities should not be directed to give Tk 50 lakh to each of the victim's family.
Thirty-one people have so far died and several others sustained burns in the blast at Pashchim Talla Baitus Salam Mosque after Esha prayers at night on September 4.
There has been widespread allegation that the explosion was caused by gas that leaked from underground pipeline and accumulated inside the ground floor of the mosque.
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