Narayanganj judge apologises before SC

Narayanganj joint district judge Shafiqul Islam today apologised unconditionally to the Supreme Court for not disposing of a civil suit filed over faulty meter and extra electricity bill.

The apex court exonerated him from personal appearance before the court and ordered him to finish the proceedings of the case by April 15.

The four-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain passed the order after hearing a statement from Judge Shafiqul Islam.

The chief justice told him that the court did not settle the case although the High Court had directed the lower court to dispose of the case around 10 years ago.

If the lower court judges near Dhaka city like Narayanganj waste their time by gossiping, they should be transferred to Rajshahi and Dinajpur, the chief justice said.

In 2006 the plaintiff, a private company filed the civil case with a Narayanganj court praying it to declare illegal the 12 months' electricity bill that Titas Gas claimed from it.

The company argued that the meters were faulty and Titas Gas claimed extra money, and prayed to be allowed to pay Tk three lakh per month as the electricity bill. The court rejected the prayer in 2007.

The company, subsequently, moved a revision petition before the HC challenging the lower court's rejection order.

On July 4, 2008, the HC ordered the claimant to pay Tk 17 lakh per month as due electricity bill and Tk 7.5 lakh as monthly electricity bill. The court also ordered the joint district judge of Narayanganj to settle the case by November 30, 2008.