Staff Reporter :
The High Court on Tuesday ordered for a judicial inquiry into the allegation of grabbing 60 acres of agricultural land at Muhuripara in Cox’s Bazar district and changing its nature by earth filling.
The HC bench of Justice Md Mozibur Rahman Miah and Justice Md Kamrul Hossain Mollah passed the order after holding hearing on a writ petition filed by rights organization Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK) seeking necessary orders on this issue. The court ordered the chief judicial magistrate of Cox’s Bazar to conduct an inquiry with a first class magistrate into the allegation and submit the probe report to it in two months. The HC also asked the parties to maintain status quo on the possession of the land till further order.
At the same time, the court issued a rule asking the authorities concerned of the government to explain as to why their inaction and failure to prevent or restrain the miscreant land grabbers from grabbing 60 acres of agricultural land situated at Muhuripara, adjacent to Backhali River in Cox’s Bazar and thereby allowing them to change the nature of the said agricultural land should not be declared illegal.
Land secretary, home secretary, Cox’s Bazar’s deputy commissioner, additional deputy commissioner, police superintendent, executive magiatrate, upazila nirbahi officer (UNO), assistant commissioner (Land) of Cox’s Bazar, and other respondents have been asked to comply with the ruling within four weeks.
Lawyers Syeda Nasrin and Md Shahinuzzaman appeared for the writ petitioner during virtual hearing on the petition.
The ASK submitted the writ petition as a public interest litigation to the HC in March this year seeking its directives on the authorities to recover 60 acres of agricultural land at Muhuripara from the illegal land grabbers and hand over the same to the rightful owners in its original nature and character.
