SC starts appeal hearing on compensating Tareque Masud’s family

The Supreme Court today started hearing of the appeal against a High Court verdict that ordered paying Tk 4.61 crore compensation to the family of eminent filmmaker Tareque Masud over his death in a road accident around 12 years ago.

A six-member bench of the Appellate Division of the SC headed by Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan also fixed October 17 for further hearing of the appeal.

The appeal was filed in 2019 by Md Kashed Miah and Khokon Miah, owners of a bus of Chuadanga Deluxe Paribahan which caused the road accident, and its driver Jamir Hossain (now dead) challenging the HC verdict.

Five other judges of the bench are Justice Borhanuddin, Justice M Enayetur Rahim, Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam, Justice Md Abu Zafor Siddique and Justice Jahangir Hossain Selim.

The apex court will hold hearing and dispose of another appeal filed in 2019 by Tareque's family members seeking a directive on the insurance company concerned to give the total compensation money to Tareque's family after collecting it from the owners, Advocate Ramzan Ali Sikder, a lawyer for Tareque's family, told The Daily Star.

Tareque Masud, Mishuk Munier, the then chief executive officer of ATN News and former journalism teacher at Dhaka University, and three others were killed in the accident in Manikganj on August 13, 2011.

On December 3, 2017, the HC ordered paying Tk 4.61 crore compensation to the family of Tareque Masud for his death in the road accident

The court ordered bus driver Jamir Hossain to pay Tk 30 lakh, its insurer Reliance Insurance to pay Tk 80,000 and the bus owners to pay Tk 4.30 crore.

Senior lawyer Md Qumrul Haque Siddique appeared for the bus owners, senior lawyer Sara Hossain represented the victims' families and lawyer Imran A Siddqiue was present for the insurance company during the hearing today.