The High Court on Monday directed the government authorities to form a committee to investigate alleged irregularities by the land ministry in allocating 470 acres of beach land in Chattogram to Bashundhara Group for industrial development.
The bench of Justice Fahmida Quader and Justice Mubina Asaf issued the order following a writ petition filed in December 2024 by Supreme Court lawyer Mohammad Kawsar.
The court asked the land secretary, cabinet secretary, Anti-Corruption Commission chairman, director general of the Land Records and Survey Department, and the Chattogram divisional commissioner to form the committee.
The government authorities were asked to submit a progress report within three months.
The High Court also issued a rule asking the authorities to explain why the land allocation to Bashundhara Group should not be declared illegal.
The petition stemmed from an October 10, 2024, investigation report by the online portal Bangla Outlook titled Bashundhara allocated land by showing it as a sinkhole.
The report alleged that 470 acres of sandy beach land in Sitakunda upazila鈥檚 Char Bashbaria union were reclassified as 鈥榮inkhole land鈥� to facilitate allocation at a significantly reduced price.
According to the report, the reclassification allowed the land ministry to allocate the land for Tk 55 crore鈥攐nly a third of its estimated market value of Tk 235 crore based on 2017-18 mauza rates鈥攃ausing the government to lose approximately Tk 180 crore in potential revenue.
Bashundhara Group reportedly planned to use the land to establish facilities for petrochemical products, an oil refinery, an LPG plant, and a port terminal.
The then Awami League government expedited the reclassification to finalise the allocation.
Lawyer Mohammad Kawsar, who represented himself in the public interest litigation, told the court that the reclassification of the sandy beach land to long-term settlement deprived the state of significant revenue.
Deputy attorneys general Mahfuz Bin Yusuf and Shafiqur Rahman, along with assistant attorney general Ikramul Kabir, represented the state during the hearing.
