Murshedy's Gulshan property: SC issues status quo

The Supreme Court today issued status quo for eight weeks on the possession and position of a property of Awami League lawmaker Abdus Salam Murshedy at Gulshan in Dhaka.

Chamber judge of the Appellate Division of the SC Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam passed the order following a petition filed by Murshedy challenging the HC order on the issue.

There is no legal bar for Murshedy to keep the property in his possession following the SC chamber judge's order, his lawyer Ahsanul Karim told The Daily Star.

Citing the petition, he said the property was transferred to Murshedy in accordance with law and the documents over the issue are valid.

Therefore, the HC verdict on the issue is defective, Ahsanul added.

Following a writ petition, the HC on March 19 directed Murshedy to hand over the property in the capital's Gulshan, which he has allegedly occupied illegally, to the government terming it abandoned property.

Murshedy was ordered to hand over the property through the secretary at the housing and public works ministry within three months of receiving the HC verdict.

The HC also directed the housing and public works secretary to submit a compliance report before it through its registrar office within 15 days after receiving the property.

The court said the property was not released through the court of settlement.

Supreme Court lawyer Sayedul Haque Suman, now an independent lawmaker, submitted the petition as a public interest litigation to the HC on October 31, 2022.

In the petition, Suman said Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) had given ownership of the luxurious building of the housing and public works department to Murshedy, lawmaker from Khulna-4 constituency, by forging documents.