The High Court on Wednesday issued a contempt of court ruling against Gazipur City Corporation (GCC) Mayor Jahangir Alam and three others for not complying with its earlier order in a case filed over a land dispute.
In the ruling, the court wanted to know from the respondents to explain in one week as to why contempt of court proceedings should not be initiated against them for willful violation of the High Court orders passed on October 8 in 2018 and on June 21 in 2021.
Mayor Jahangir Alam, Alfaz of Painshal village under Joydebpur Police Station, Harunor Rashid alias Thandu of Poschim Dogori village under the same PS and Fazlul Huq of BK Bari village under the same PS have been asked to comply with the ruling.
The High Court bench of Justice Mamnoon Rahman and Justice Khandaker Diliruzzaman passed the order after hearing a writ petition filed by Ashraf Uddin Ahmed, a resident of Gulshan-2 in Dhaka.
Barrister Abul Kalam Azad appeared in the court on behalf of the writ petitioner, while Deputy Attorney General Amit Das Gupta represented the state.
Later Barrister Azad said that the court asked to send the order through a special messenger.
According to the case statement, Ashraf Uddin Ahmed purchased the 16.66 acres of land in BK Bari Mouza under Joydevpur Police Station of Gazipur district from 1988 to 2001. But on January 14 in 1997 the Land Office of Mirzapur Union Parishad through a letter cancelled the mutation of the land in favour of Ashraf Uddin.
Subsequently, on April 17 2012, the land was listed in the Gazette as per Section 10 of the Arpito Sampatti Prottarpan Ain. Later Ashraf filed a case with the Arpito Sampatti Prottarpan Additional Tribunal in 2013 and got a decree in his favour in 2016. The tribunal asked to hand over the land to Ashraf.
The state then filed an appeal against the decree but the appeal was rejected on October 12 in 2017. Ashraf Uddin then filed another petition to bring correction in the mutation of the land. Since the local land office unheeded the petition then Ashraf Uddin filed a writ petition with the High Court challenging the inaction of the land office.
Following the writ petition the High Court bench of Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed and Justice Md Iqbal Kabir on October 8 in 2018 asked the respondents including Jahangir Alam to be restrained from entering into the land of the petitioners or mute the same in the name of others or any way disturb the peaceful possession of the petitioner for a period of three months.
Later the tenure of the restriction was extended till June 21 in 2021. Even in the last order, the High Court asked the respondents not to disturb the peaceful possession of the petitioner.
Despite the High Court restriction, the respondents including Jahangir Alam prevented Ashraf Uddin to enter the land. Being helpless Ashraf filed a case on August 18 this year with the Joydebpur Police Station. Police submitted a probe report in the case where the allegation was found true.
Even then, the accused including Mayor Jahangir Alam were threatening Ashraf Uddin. In this context, Ashraf Uddin filed a contempt of court petition against them.