Dhaka: The High Court (HC) today summoned three divisional commissioners, three deputy commissioners, and two upazilla nirbahi officers (UNOs) for not taking effective steps to stop operations of illegal brick kilns. A High Court division bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Debasish Roy Chowdhury issued the order, requiring the officials from Dhaka, Chattogram, Khulna, Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Savar, and Dhamrai to appear before it on February 12 to provide explanations.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the court’s decision followed a hearing on a petition filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB). The senior jurist Manjil Murshid represented the petitioner, while Deputy Attorney General Tanim Khan stood for the state. The writ petition, filed in 2022, sought the court’s directive to halt illegal brick kiln operations. In response, the court had issued a rule on November 13, ordering actions against the illegal kilns. However, due to the officials’ inaction, a supplementary petition was submitted.
On November 28, 2024, the High Court reiterated the order, instructing divisional commissioners to ensure the cessation of illegal kiln operations across eight divisions within seven days and to submit a compliance report by December 15. Despite the submission of reports by the divisional commissioners, discrepancies were discovered, revealing that some brick kilns identified in the reports had ceased operations long ago, while others continued operations without hindrance.
The HRPB consequently filed another supplementary petition. Following a hearing on this matter, the High Court issued today’s order, summoning the officials for further explanations on their failure to act against the illegal brick kilns.