HC orders probe into alleged irregularities in land allotment to Bashundhara

The High Court (HC) has directed the formation of a committee to investigate allegations of irregularities in allocating 470 acres of coastal land in Chattogram to Bashundhara Group at a significantly undervalued price by misclassifying the land as a "lowland" rather than a "sandbank."

During the previous Awami League regime, Bashundhara planned to use the allocated land for establishing petrochemical facilities, an oil refinery, an LPG plant, and a port terminal.

Following a preliminary hearing on a related writ petition, the High Court division bench comprising Justice Fahmida Khatun and Justice Mubina Asaf issued the order today (20 January).

The HC directive was issued to the land secretary, the cabinet secretary, the chairman of the Anti-Corruption Commission, the director general of the Department of Land Records and Surveys, the divisional commissioner of Chattogram, and other respondents.

Additionally, the committee was instructed to submit a progress report to the court within three months. A rule was also issued asking why the allocation process should not be declared illegal.

A report titled "Seashore allocated to Bashundhara by labelling it as lowland" was published on an online news portal on 10 October last year. Citing the report, Supreme Court lawyer Mohammad Kawsar filed the writ petition in December, challenging the validity of the allocation and seeking necessary directives for an investigation.

Kawsar himself represented the petitioner during the hearing while Deputy Attorney General Mahfuz Bin Yusuf, Shafiqul Rahman, and Assistant Attorney General Ikramul Kabir represented the state.

The Supreme Court lawyer told the media, "The state was deprived of revenue amounting to Tk180 crore due to the misclassification of the land.  Hence, the writ petition was filed in the public interest."

The published report states that the Ministry of Land hastily changed the land's classification to facilitate the allocation. As a result, Bashundhara Group could acquire the land for only around Tk55 crore, instead of its original market value of approximately Tk235 crore.