HC orders status quo on Tk300 crore Dhanmondi property allocation

The High Court has issued a status quo on the allocation and construction activities concerning a Tk 300 crore abandoned property located on Road No. 2 in the capital’s Dhanmondi area. The bench also issued a rule questioning the legality of the acquisition and allocation of the property.

The court asked authorities to explain why the nearly Tk 300 crore property should not be preserved for public interest as an abandoned asset. The order was passed by the High Court bench of Justice Md Akram Hossain Chowdhury and Justice Fayez Ahmed on Monday.

Barrister Kazi Mainul Hasan represented the petitioner during the hearing.

Earlier in November 2022, a separate High Court bench comprising Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam and Justice Mohammad Ali had ruled that House No. 29 on Road No. 2, Dhanmondi, is government property under the category of abandoned property. The same verdict fined journalist Abed Khan Tk 10,000 for concealing information while filing a writ petition claiming ownership of the house.

According to court records, the property was abandoned by its original owner in 1972, following which the government took possession of it as abandoned property. In 1989, Towab Khan, Abed Khan, and others filed a case with the First Settlement Court, claiming ownership as heirs. After reviewing relevant documents and testimonies, the court ruled in favor of the government, stating that the property had been lawfully taken under the abandoned property law.

However, in 1996, a person named S. Nehal Ahmed filed another case with the First Settlement Court, referring to an earlier 1987 application. The government did not contest this case. Despite a lack of witnesses and required documentation, the court ruled in Ahmed’s favor.

Later, Nehal Ahmed filed two writ petitions in the High Court to implement the judgment. Meanwhile, in 2015, journalist Abed Khan also filed a writ petition claiming ownership of the property, allegedly concealing the earlier court verdict. The High Court imposed a fine of Tk 10,000 for the concealment.

Deputy Attorney General Kazi Mainul Hasan appeared for the state, while lawyer Mohammad Abul Hashem represented Nehal Ahmed.