Staff Reporter :
Green Line Paribahan has been ordered to pay remainder of the Tk 45 lakh as compensation to Russel Sarker, who lost his left leg after a bus of the said paribahan hit him in the city’s Dolairpar area on April 28 last year.
The High Court (HC) Bench of Justice F R M Nazmul Ahasan and Justice K M Kamrul Kader has ordered that the remaining amount of the compensation has to be paid within May 22. It Green Line warned of consequences if the order is not carried out.
However, the bench said, if not in full, the company can pay any sum of money to Russel by this time. Notably, Green Line has already paid Tk 5 lakh of the Tk 50 lakh as compensation.
On Wednesday, Green Line sought more time for paying the full sum of compensation to Russel. The company’s lawyer Oziullah told the court that his client is sick and he needs more time to comply with the High Court’s existing order.
While adjourning yesterday’s hearing, the Bench fixed May 22 for passing further order.
Earlier on April 10, Green Line Paribahan gave a cheque of Tk five lakh to Russel Sarkar. Md Alauddin, the owner of Green Line Paribahan, handed over the cheque to Russel Sarkar inside the courtroom of the High Court.
On that day, the HC asked the Green Line Paribahan owner to pay the rest amount of Tk 45 lakh to Russel in one month time. At the same time, the court ordered the bus company to take initiative for Russel’s treatment with their cost.
On March 12, the High Court ordered Green Line Paribahan to pay the compensation to Russel Sarkar within 14 days.
Green Line Paribahan authority appealed to the Supreme Court against the HC order. But the four-member Bench led by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain on March 31 upheld the HC order and the HC the same day revised its order and asked the company to pay the compensation money by Wednesday April 3.
On April 4, the HC ordered Green Line Paribahan to pay Tk 50 lakh to Russel by April 10, saying that it would pass an order for confiscation of buses if the transport company did not pay the money within the given time.
The HC also asked the company not to sell tickets for April 11 if it failed to pay the money.
Earlier on May 14 last year, the High Court issued a rule asking as to why private car driver Russel, 23, should not get Tk one crore as compensation.Green Line was asked to respond to the rule within four weeks. Russel, 26, a car driver of a power company, lost his leg below the knee after he was knocked down by the bus near the Mayor Hanif Flyover in the capital’s Dholaipar on April 28 last year.
The bus driver had an altercation with him and ran over Russel as he chased down the bus.
Russel was first taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital with a severed leg, and transferred to Square Hospitals and later to Apollo Hospitals.
After being informed, police impounded the bus and detained Kabir from near the National Press Club. However, Kabir is now on bail in the case filed over the incident.
