Contempt rule on DCC south

The High Court yesterday issued a second contempt of court rule against Dhaka City Corporation (South) Administrator Khalilur Rahman for refusing to receive its earlier order.
On February 9, the HC issued a contempt of court rule against Khalilur and five officials, asking them to explain why they should not be punished for demolishing a building near the city's Jatrabari kitchen market, defying its order.
In response to a contempt of court petition, the court had also summoned them to it yesterday to explain their roles in demolishing the building.
Humayun Kabir, the building's owner, filed the petition saying that some DCC officials led by a magistrate knocked down his building on February 7, ignoring a status quo order of the HC.
The HC on August 25 last year imposed the status quo and also issued a rule upon the government authorities concerned to explain why the acquisition of the building's land should not be declared illegal.
The six officials appeared before the HC bench of Justice AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik and Justice Jahangir Hossain Selim yesterday.
During yesterday's hearing, the petitioner's counsel Manzill Murshid said the DCC administrator's office refused to receive its February 9 order from a Supreme Court messenger twice before finally receiving it.
The HC bench yesterday called the messenger before it to hear about the allegation.
The messenger said the DCC administrator's office refused to receive the HC order under the instructions from “higher authorities”.
The court then issued the contempt of court rule against the DCC administrator and asked him to appear before it on February 28.
The HC bench yesterday also directed the additional registrar-1 of the Supreme Court and assistant commissioner of land of Demra in Dhaka to investigate the allegation of the building's demolition.
The court asked them to submit a report to it on February 28.
Deputy Attorney General ABM Altaf Hossain represented the government.