High Court directs authorities to take action to shut illegal brick kilns

The High Court has directed the authorities to take action in line with its previous orders to shut down illegal brick kilns across the country and submit a compliance report by 14 December.

The court also instructed the authorities not to harass owners of legally operating brick kilns.

A High Court Division Bench comprising Justice J B M Hasan and Justice Aziz Ahmed Bhuiyan issued the directives on Thursday, senior lawyer Manzil Morshed, representing the petitioner, said.

Mohammad Ali, counsel for the brick kiln owners, said the court had also made it clear that owners of lawful brick kilns must not be subjected to harassment.

Senior lawyer Manzil Morshed appeared for the petitioner, while Mohammad Ali represented the brick kiln owners. Lawyer Muntasir Uddin Ahmed appeared on behalf of the Department of Environment.