Justice has remained unfulfilled in the past 12 years since the devastating Tazreen Fashions factory fire that took 119 lives on November 24, 2012.
The trial of the 13 accused, including Tazreen Fashions managing director and owner Md Delwar Hossain, in the case has seen little progress to the frustration of the victims鈥� families, and angering rights activists.
The case, pending with the Dhaka First Additional District and Sessions Judge Court, has been plagued by delays.
Court officials told 抖阴精品 that in the nine years since receiving the case for trial, the court had recorded depositions from just 15 of 104 witnesses.
Five witnesses, including plaintiff Khairul Islam, testified on October 1, 2015, the day when the deposition phase of the Tazreen factory fire case began. Two more testified in 2017, one in 2019, and another in 2021.
Although four witnesses testified in 2023, no one turned up on the last scheduled date, October 22 this year, prompting the court to express dissatisfaction with the prosecution.
The court has now set November 27 as the next date for recording witness testimonies, directing the police to ensure their appearance.
The court warned that failure to produce witnesses would result in legal action against the responsible officers.
So far, the prosecution produced only nine witnesses over 63 days of proceedings, according to a joint statement issued by Garments Sramik Oikya Forum general secretary Shahidul Islam Sabuj and journalist and activist Saydia Gulrukh, belonging to the group of activists fighting for justice and compensations for the fire victims.
The statement criticised the sluggish pace of the trial, attributing it to negligence by the state.
鈥榃e believe that the state is responsible for this procrastination,鈥� the statement said, adding that such inaction effectively shielded the factory owner from accountability.
The statement highlighted the involvement of researchers, journalists, lawyers, cultural activists, and labour leaders who had been closely monitoring the case.
Members of Garments Sramik Oikya Forum, who had been consistently present in court during hearings, called for ensuring justice for the victims and holding those responsible accountable.
Additional public prosecutor of the trial court Kamal Khan blamed the state鈥檚 failure to expedite the trial on the non-appearance of witnesses.
鈥楨fforts are on to speed up the case as per instructions from the interim government. We expect the case to聽 be resolved soon,鈥� he said.
Delwar Hossain鈥檚 lawyer, Helena Parvin, expressed frustration over the prolonged delay. 鈥業 have done everything possible to expedite the case, but it remains stuck. My client has already compensated the victims, even though he had no role in the fire. He still cannot open the factory,鈥� she said.
As the 12th anniversary of the tragedy approaches, victims鈥� families and activists are planning commemoration, iterating demand for accountability and compensation.
The Tazreen factory fire, one of the deadliest industrial disasters in the country鈥檚 history, exposed glaring safety lapses in the garment sector.
A decade later, the lack of resolution in the trial underscores systemic inefficiencies in ensuring justice for the victims.
Among others, the accused in the case are Delwar Hossain, and his wife, Mahmuda Akhter, who also served as the company鈥檚 chairman.
The other accused include factory officials Shahiduzzaman Dulal, Mahbubul Morshed, Hamidul Islam, Md Al Amin (two individuals with the same name), Anisur Rahman, Abdur Razzak, Md Rana, Shamim Miah, Dulal Uddin, and Mobarak Hossain Monju. All of them, who held senior positions at the factory, remain on bail.
According to the charge sheet submitted on December 2, 2013, Delwar Hossain and Mahmuda Akhter built the factory building based on a faulty plan and illegally converted the ground floor walkway into a warehouse, severely compromising safety.
The factory lacked fire exits, violating the labour law that makes it compulsory to build at least two emergency exits in every factory. This failure, coupled with the illegal structural modifications, left workers trapped during the devastating fire on November 24, 2012.
The charge sheet further revealed that managers and security guards misled workers during the fire.
When smoke began to billow, workers attempted to evacuate, but they were ordered to return to work, with assurance that the situation was 鈥榥ot serious鈥�.
These actions not only delayed evacuation but also contributed to the high death toll.
Over the past years at least nine writ petitions were filed with the High Court in public interest, seeking accountability and compensations for victims of devastating fires in factories, chemical warehouses, and other establishments.
The petitions highlighted allegations of negligence in building construction, fire safety measures, and disaster response.
Of the nine petitions, the High Court has issued orders and rules on six, while the remaining three are awaiting hearings.
None of the cases have reached final resolutions yet.
According to court records, the incidents regarding which writ petitions were filed are Nimtoli fire in Old Dhaka鈥檚 Nawab Katra 14 years ago, Tazreen Fashions factory fire in Ashulia 12 years ago, Tampaco Foils factory fire in Gazipur, Churihatta fire in Chawkbazar, and Mosque explosion in Narayanganj鈥檚 Tolla area, collapse of Rana Plaza building housing garment factories and other offices in 2013.
Lawyers involved in the petitions stated that while victims received some compensation shortly after the writs were filed, the cases remain unresolved.
Final decisions on compensations are contingent on the conclusion of the petitions, many of which have been stalled for years.
Legal expert and rights activist Sara Hossain emphasised the need to prioritise hearings on the writ petitions to ensure justice and accountability.
She said that the prolonged delays not only deny victims adequate compensations, but also allow systemic negligence to persist, increasing the risk of future tragedies.
She said that the unresolved cases underscore broader concerns about the effectiveness of legal remedies in addressing industrial safety and protecting the rights of victims.
The case in the Tazreen Fashions fire was filed on November 25, 2012.