PUBLIC INTEREST LITIGATION (PIL)

1. Nijera Kori
2. Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA)
3. Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST)
4. Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK)
5. Association for Land Reform and Development (ALRD)
6. Bangladesh Society for the Enforcement of Human Rights (BSEHR)

1. The Secretary, Ministry of Land
2. The Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forest
3. The Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs
4. The Inspector general of Police, Dhaka
5. The Divisional Commissioner, Chittagong Division
6. The Deputy Commissioner, Noakhali District
7. The Assistant Commissioner (Land), Sadar Upazila, Noakahli
8. The Assistant Commissioner (Land), Companigonj Upazila, Noakhali
9. Director of Moitri Agro Fisheries Private Ltimited
10. Chairman, Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation

The petitioners challenged the eviction of around 40,000 landless people from various char lands of Noakhali district purportedly for development of a shrimp project.

Nijera Kori had earlier filed three writ petitions (1162 of 1998, 3091 of 2000 and 7248 of 2003) and in the first two, the High Court had passed orders to protect the landless people from eviction. In Writ Petition No. 7248 of 2003 the then Attorney General appeared and submitted that the Government had decided not to evict the landless people without prior rehabilitation. In spite of this representation, however, the landless people were facing eviction and subjection to abuse, exploitation, threats, intimidation, torture and falsely implication in criminal cases, and the administration had failed to redress the situation.

The Hon’ble High Court  Division issued a Rule and stayed the operation of the impugned memo dated 06.05.03 for 6 (six)  months and also directed the respondents to restrain from setting the area for shrimp cultivation for the said period.

Mr. Justice Md. Abdul Wahhab Miah

Ms. Justice Zinat Ara

The court extended the earlier granted stay order till disposal of the Rule.