Court to decide on trial against 13, including ex-MP Salam Murshedy on 6 July

A Dhaka court will decide on 6 July whether to frame charges and begin trial against former MP Abdus Salam Murshedy and 12 others in a case over alleged misappropriation of 27 kathas of government land in Gulshan-2.

The date was set today (20 May) by Judge Md Abdus Salam of Dhaka Special Judge Court-9 after concluding hearings on charge framing, confirmed court bench assistant Saiful Islam Mithu.

Mithu said hearings seeking discharge from the case had concluded, and the court fixed 6 July for its order.

Murshedy and other accused currently in custody were brought to court from prison, while those on bail appeared before the court.

Defence lawyers, including Masud Ahmed Talukdar, Alhaj Borhan Uddin, Shahinur Islam and Khademul Islam, argued for the accused to be discharged from the case.

According to the case statements, the accused allegedly abused official authority and created false records to facilitate the transfer and mutation of a listed abandoned 27-katha property in Gulshan without official release, enabling the alleged misappropriation of government land. The case was filed under multiple sections of the Penal Code and Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947.

Earlier, on 1 October 2024, Murshedy was arrested and has remained in custody since.

Other accused include former chairman of Rajuk Humayun Khadem, engineer M Azizul Haque, former member (Estate) Lt Col (Retd) M Nurul Haque, former director Abdur Rahman Bhuiyan, former deputy director (Estate) Md Azharul Islam, former superintendent Md Habib Ullah, former assistant secretary of the Ministry of Housing and Public Works Abdus Sobhan, former section assistant Md Mahbubul Haque, and Cox's Bazar residents Mir Mohammad Hasan and his brother Mir Md Nurul Afsar.