HC declines to hear petition on compensation for Milestone jet crash victims

The High Court on Monday declined to hear a writ petition seeking directives for the government to pay a minimum of Tk 10 lakh in initial compensation to each of the injured and the families of those killed in the Bangladesh Air Force jet crash at Milestone School and College in Uttara on July 21.

The bench of Justice Fahmida Quader and Justice Syed Jahed Mansur removed the petition from its cause list, stating that the court had already addressed the matter. On July 22, the same bench issued an order to form an expert committee to investigate the incident and issued a rule regarding compensation.

Supreme Court lawyer Advocate Md Eunus Ali Akond, who filed the petition as a public interest litigation, had earlier in the day requested the bench to hear the matter and pass a directive. Speaking to the media afterwards, he said he intends to move the same petition before another High Court bench.

Filed on July 23, the petition also called on the court to bar government authorities from approving building plans exceeding four storeys in the Uttara project areas under the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk), particularly in zones near the airport. The request cited potential violations of aviation safety regulations.

Respondents named in the petition include the secretaries of the ministries of housing and public works, defence, and the cabinet division; the director of Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR); and the chairmen of Rajuk and the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB).

Advocate Eunus Ali alleged that previous governments had encouraged the construction of high-rise buildings—some up to 20 storeys—in the Uttara North, South, East, and West projects, in violation of laws including the Civil Aviation Act.

The crash on July 21, which involved a Bangladesh Air Force fighter jet, resulted in multiple fatalities and injuries when it went down near the Milestone School and College compound in Uttara.