11 years of Rana Plaza disaster: No progress in trial

Shawdesh desk:

Eleven years ago, on 24 April 2013, one of the most terrible man-made disasters in the country’s history took place at Rana Plaza in Savar, Dhaka. As many as 1,134 people were killed when the illegally erected eight-storey building that housed several garment factories collapsed.

More than 2,000 were injured in the accident, and 2,438 people were rescued alive from under the rubble. All of them were garment workers. This heartbreaking incident shook not only the country but the entire world.

Regarding the incident, one case was filed under the Construction Act and another one for negligent homicide.

The lawyer of Sohel Rana, owner of the building, said the accused is being held in jail without trial as the trials in the two cases have not been completed.

On the other hand, the state says several years passed before the testimony began as the accused went to the High Court regarding framing the charges. The state also hopes that the two cases will be resolved quickly.

Meanwhile, all the accused, except building owner Sohel Rana, are free on bail or absconding.

Garment worker murder case

On the day of the Rana Plaza collapse, Sub-Inspector (SI) Wali Ashraf of Savar police station filed a case for “culpable homicide due to negligence in the construction of the building”.

After investigating the case, on 26 April 2015, CID Assistant Superintendent of Police Vijay Krishnakor filed a charge sheet against 41 people including Sohel Rana. As many as 594 people were witnesses in the case.

Among the accused, Abdul Khalek, father of Sohel Rana, Abu Bakkar Siddique and Abul Hossain have died. Excluding these three people, the number of accused in the murder case currently stands at 38.

On 18 July 2016, Dhaka District and Sessions Judge SM Quddus Zaman started the formal trial of the case by framing charges against the accused. According to court sources, eight accused went to the high court challenging the validity of the complaint in the murder case. Of these, seven applications were settled.

Another defendant in the case, Haji Muhammad Ali, former councillor of Savar Municipality’s ward-7, has secured a suspension order for the judicial proceedings in the case.

Taking testimony against the other accused in the case started with recording the testimony of the then Sub-Inspector (SI) of Savar Police Station Wali Ashraf on 31 January 2022.

Of the 594 witnesses in the case, 84 have completed giving their testimony so far. Four people testified in court at the last hearing that was held this month. The interrogation of three of the four has been completed while the interrogation, of one, has not been completed.

The next hearing in the case is scheduled for 28 April. Regarding the murder case, Bimal Samaddar, counsel for the state side of the Dhaka District and Sessions Judge’s Court, said, “We try to take multiple dates of cases every month to dispose of the pending cases quickly. We hope the judicial process of the case can be completed soon.”

Cases under the Building Construction Act

Regarding the Rana Plaza collapse, Rajuk official Md Helal Uddin filed a case at Savar police station because the building was constructed without complying with the Building Construction Act.

After the investigation, CID Assistant Superintendent of Police Vijaykrishna Kar filed a charge sheet in the case to the court on 26 April 2015, accusing 18 people including Sohel Rana, the owner of the building.

There were 130 people witnesses in the case. On 14 June 2016, the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Dhaka Mostafizur Rahman framed charges against the accused. After that, some defendants applied for revision in the district and session judge court regarding the case. The court acquitted one of the accused – Phantom Apparels Limited chairman Muhammad Aminul Islam – from the case.

In addition, the High Court ordered the suspension of the judicial proceedings of the case for one year on 7 November 2021, passing an order in favour of Md Refatullah, former mayor of Savar Municipality, a defendant in the case.

As the judicial proceedings of the case were suspended by the High Court, the state could not start taking evidence even after almost eight years of filing the complaint.

In this regard, the lawyer of the state, Anwarul Kabir Babul, said, “Some defendants challenged the validity of the complaint and filed a revision application. Then, in 2023, District and Sessions Judge Court Judge Habibur Rahman took the Jinnah assassination case along with the Building Construction Act case to his court for evidence. However, as the judicial proceedings of the case were suspended in the High Court, the testimony could not be started.”

Farooq Ahmed, the lawyer for the accused, said, “Charges were filed eight years ago in two cases of murder and building construction law in connection with the Rana Plaza collapse. Some of the accused appealed to the High Court, challenging the validity of the framing of charges.

“In the Building Construction Act case, taking testimony did not begin due to a stay order in favour of one of the defendants. Accused Sohel Rana cannot be released from prison as the trial of the two cases has not been completed. In my opinion, the accused Sohel Rana is unjustly detained in jail.”

Notable accused in the Rana Plaza disaster

Some of notable accused in the two cases filed over Rana Plaza collapse are – building owner Sohail Rana, his mother Morjina Begum, former commissioner of ward-7 of Savar Municipality Haji Muhammad Ali, Khulna University Assistant Professor (Architecture Discipline) ATM Masud Reza, Engineer Sajjad Hossain, Former Mayor of Savar Municipality Md Refatullah, Former Chief Executive Officer of Savar Municipality Uttam Kumar Roy, Executive Engineer Rafiqul Islam, Former Assistant Engineer Mahbubur Rahman, Former Deputy Assistant Engineer Rakibul Hasan Russell, former Town Planner of Savar Municipality Farzana Islam, Licence Inspector Md Abdul Mottalib, Former Secretary of Municipality Morjina Khan, Former Secretary Md Abul Bashar, Chairman of Phantom Apparels Limited Muhammad Aminul Islam, managing director of New Web Bottoms Limited Bajlus Samad and Chairman of Ether Tex Limited Md Anisur Rahman.