Chief Justice Md Muzammel Hossain has formed a three-member High Court bench to decide the legality of activities of Ashiyan City housing project.
The activities of Ashiyan City, which had a conditional and partial approval from the housing ministry to develop land in the capital's Holan and Ashkona areas, are now remaining halted following an earlier HC order.
On Thursday, the chief justice constituted the larger bench of the HC led by Justice Syed ABM Mahmudul Huq for disposing of a writ petition through holding its final hearing. Two other judges of the bench are Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque and Justice ABM Altaf Hossain, Supreme Court sources said.
In December last year, some eminent rights activists filed the writ petition with the HC saying that Ashiyan City authorities had been filling and constructing structures on around 230 acres of land even though the company had Rajuk permission for development on only 43 acres.
The CJ's decision came after some rights activists submitted an application to him (CJ) on May 29 this year, apprehending that they will not get justice from the two-judge HC bench led by Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque in the case.
Now, the three-member bench will fix a date for hearing the matter, SC sources said.
Earlier, the HC bench of Justice Hoque and Justice ABM Altaf Hossain was holding final hearing on the petition in line with a SC order.
In the application submitted by Chief Executive of Bangladesh Environment Lawyers Association (Bela) Syeda Rizwana Hasan on behalf of the petitioners, they prayed to the CJ that he pass an order transferring the writ petition from the HC bench led by Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque to another bench for disposal.
On June 4, the HC bench led by Justice Hoque adjourned the hearing of the writ petition.
Earlier on January 2, following the same writ petition, the HC ordered Rajuk to stop the activities of Ashiyan City, and its site clearance certificate, issued by the Department of Environment, and the renewal of the certificate.
It also issued a rule upon the authorities concerned of the government and Ashiyan City to explain as to why the issuance of the environmental certificate and its renewal should not be declared illegal.