SC sends transport businessman to jail for contempt of court

The Supreme Court yesterday sent transport businessman Abdus Shahid to jail for violating its order against constructing a building on a piece of land in Habiganj municipality.

The SC also sentenced Shahid, who owns Bismillah Paribahan, to half-a-month's simple imprisonment on charge of contempt of court. The court further ordered the municipality authorities to remove the illegal structure within a month.

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Shahid, who appeared before the SC yesterday in connection with a contempt of court petition, was handed over to police.

The businessman committed contempt of court by continuing construction of the building and preventing municipality authorities from demolishing it despite an order of the SC that directed him to stop the construction, petitioner's counsel Subrata Chowdhury told The Daily Star.

He said Shahid constructed a three-storey building occupying a land of one Shyamal Kanti Das on Ramakrishna Mission Road in December 2011 without any approval from the municipality authorities.

Following a petition filed by Shyamal, joint district judge of Habiganj ordered Shahid to stop construction of the building in January 2012. Shahid later filed an appeal with the High Court challenging the Habiganj district judge's order.

On April 2012, the HC stayed the Habiganj court order. Later, Shyamal appealed to the SC against the HC order.

SC on January 27, 2013 issued a status quo on construction of the structure. But Shahid continued construction of the structure ignoring the SC status quo order.

Shyamal then filed the contempt of court petition with the SC.

On April 6 last year, the SC ordered the municipality authorities to demolish the building. Shahid, however, prevented the municipality authorities from demolishing the structure.