HC pulls up Ctg Port Authority chairman, 4 others in contempt rule over Karnaphuli lease
The court has asked why the respondents should not be punished for defying its previous order.
The High Court has issued a contempt of court rule against the chairman of the Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) and four other officials over a decision to lease out part of the Karnaphuli River in alleged violation of its previous order.
The bench of Justice Fahmida Quader and Justice Md Ashif Hasan issued the rule in response to a writ petition today (8 February), asking the five why they should not be punished for defying its order.
The five officials are CPA Chairman Rear Admiral SM Moniruzzaman; Additional Secretary (Administration) Md Habibur Rahman; Member (Finance) Md Shahidul Alam; Member (Engineering) Commodore Kausar Rashid; and Assistant Manager of the Estate Department Mohammad Rayan Uddin.
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According to the petitioner's lawyer Manzill Murshid, the High Court had earlier issued several directives in a public interest case to protect the Karnaphuli River and instructed the authorities to take measures in line with official survey records.
He said that despite those directives, the CPA decided to lease out a portion of the river, recorded as river land in the official survey, to the Chattogram City Corporation.
