Health secy, IGP face contempt rule

The High Court yesterday issued a contempt of court rule against health secretary, inspector general of police and two other government high officials for knocking down the Sat Tala slum in the capital's Mohakhali area ignoring its earlier order.
The two other contemnor officials are senior assistant secretary of health ministry and additional chief engineer of Public Works Department.
The court in the rule directed them to explain within two weeks why action would not be taken against them for contempt of court as they demolished the Sat Tala slum.
An HC bench of Justice Nazmun Ara Sultana and Justice Sheikh Hasan Arif issued the rule following a contempt of court petition filed yesterday by Omar Faruk, a slum dweller.
An eviction team demolished the slum on Thursday and Friday.
Following an earlier writ petition filed by Omar Faruk, the HC on May 24, 2005, directed the four officials to maintain status quo regarding the demolition of Sat Tala slum till disposal of the petition.
Omar Faruk filed the writ petition with the HC challenging the legality of a notice issued by the health ministry on April 3, 2005, for bulldozing the slum to retrieve a land owned by the ministry.
Advocate Atiur Rahman appeared for the petitioner.