The High Court on Thursday fined the owners of 54 illegal brick kilns Tk 4 lakh each for continuing operations in the Chattogram Hill Tracts in violation of Supreme Court orders.
The bench of Justice Fatema Najib and Justice Sikder Mahmudur Razi directed the owners 鈥� Mohammad Waliullah, Mozammel Haque, Obaidul Kabir, Shamima Akhter, Gias Uddin, Enamul Haque, Nasir Ul Alam, Mohammad Islam, Biplob Kanti, and Abdul Kader 鈥� to deposit the fines with the court within 30 days.
The verdict came after the court dismissed the brickfield owners鈥� 2023 writ petition.
Previously, on February 12, 2024, the High Court responding to the writ petition had extended a status quo for six months allowing operation of illegal brick kilns in the hill districts.
No lawyer appeared on behalf of the kiln owners during the hearing of an application filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh seeking to vacate the status quo, said HRPB lawyer Manzill Murshid.
Manzill stated that the fines were imposed due to the owners鈥� willful defiance of court orders and their fraudulent attempts to prolong illegal operations by repeatedly filing series of writ petitions.
He noted that, despite multiple court directives since 2022 to shut down these illegal brick kilns, the owners continued to operate under the cover of status quo orders obtained from the High Court.
On June 4, 2023, the Appellate Division, responding to the kiln owners鈥� appeals, instructed government authorities to decide within two weeks on their applications for alternative locations to relocate their businesses.
However, instead of complying, the owners continued to file petitions seeking further status quo to extend their illegal operations, Manzill added.
