The High Court will hear two separate writ petitions tomorrow (Tuesday) over compensation and judicial enquiry into the killing of workers at SS Power I Plant, a coal-based power plant of the S Alam Group, at Banshkhali in Chattogram.
The virtual HC bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Sardar Md Rashed Jahangir on Sunday set the date for tomorrow (May 4) after petitioners’ lawyers requested the court to hold hearing on the writ petitions.
Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK), a leading rights organisation, and five rights organisations filed the two writ petitions with the High Court seeking its directive on the authorities concerned to conduct a judicial enquiry into the brutal incident and to stop construction of SS Power I Plant till completion of the inquiry.
Advocate Syeda Nasreen and two other lawyers filed the writ petition on behalf of the ASK on April 21. Syeda Nasrin said that they had requested the court to hear the petition on April 25. However, the HC will hear the petition on Tuesday (tomorrow).
ASK filed the writ petition with the High Court as a public interest litigation requesting the court to order the government to take appropriate legal action against the perpetrators who are involved in the killing and injuring the unarmed workers. The writ petition also sought compensation of Tk 3 crore to the families of the deceased, who were killed in the incident, and of Tk 2 crore to the families of the injured workers.
In the writ petition, ASK also urged the HC to ask the officials concerned of the government to withdraw the case filed against the workers of the power plant.
Earlier on April 18, Advocate Syeda Nasrin on behalf of the ASK sent a legal notice to the Law Secretary, Home Secretary, Industries Secretary, Commerce Secretary and Inspector General of Police (IGP) to take necessary initiatives over the killing incident. The ASK filed the writ petition for not getting any response of the notice, said Syeda Nasreen.
On April 30, five rights organisations filed their writ petition with the High Court. The rights organisations are Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA), Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST), Nijera Kori (NK), Safety and Rights Society, and Association for Land Reform and Development (ALRD).
Syeda Rizwana Hasan, the lawyer for the petitioners, said that they requested the court to conduct a judicial inquiry over the incident and stop the construction of the plant till the inquiry.
Five workers of the under-construction coal-fired power plant ‘SS Power I Plant’ were shot dead and at least 21 others were injured during a clash between police and workers at Banshkhali upazila of Chattogram on April 17.
