PUBLIC INTEREST LITIGATION (PIL)

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WP 2154 of 2026
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Case Number: Writ Petition No. 2154 of 2026

Date of filing: 10/01/26

Petitioners:

 

  1. Sahabul Sheikh.
  2. Aslam.
  3. Meraj Ahmed.
  4. Rupa Khanam.
  5. Abul Hossain.
  6. Mohammad Abu Shaheen.
  7. Faruk Hossain.
  8. Monika Akter.
  9. Abdul Kadir.
  10. Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST)

 

 

Respondents

1. The Cabinet Secretary.

2. The Secretary/ Senior Secretary, Ministry of Education.

3. The Secretary/ Senior Secretary, Ministry of Social Welfare.

4. The Secretary/ Senior Secretary, Ministry of Women and Children Affairs.

5. The Secretary/Senior Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Public Works.

6. The Chairman, Rajdhani Unnyan Kartripakkha (RAJUK).
7. The Director General, Fire Service and Civil Defence Directorate.

8. The Chairman, Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board,Dhaka.

9. The Chairman, Governing Body, Milestone School & College.

10. The Principal, Milestone School & College.

11. The Chief of Air Staff, Bangladesh Air Staff.

12. The Senior Secretary /Secretary, Ministry of Defence.

Facts:

 10.01.2026

Date: 2024/04/22

On 21 July 2025, a Bangladesh Air Force training aircraft (Chengdu FT-7BGI) crashed shortly after takeoff into the campus of Milestone School and College in Diabari, Uttara, Dhaka, during school hours. The crash triggered a massive explosion and fire, resulting in the deaths of 36 individuals, including 32 students, 3 teachers, and the pilot, and leaving more than 170 others seriously injured. In response, the Government formed both a Board of Inquiry and a separate Investigation Commission on 27 July 2025 to determine the causes, liabilities, and any legal violations. Although the investigation report was submitted on 5 November 2025, it has not been made public nor shared with the victims’ families. More than six months after the incident, no visible action has been taken to ensure accountability, provide adequate compensation, or implement effective safety measures to prevent recurrence. Consequently, nine affected parents, along with BLAST, filed a Public Interest Litigation (Writ Petition No. 2154 of 2026) seeking publication of the investigation report, accountability of responsible authority and rehabilitation and compensation for the victims and their families.

Rule: Rule Nisi and direction

On 8 March 2026, after a preliminary hearing of the Public Interest Litigation (Writ Petition No.2154 of 2026) a division bench of the High Court Division comprising Ms. Justice Fahmida Quader and Mr. Justice Md. Ashif Hasan issued a Rule Nisi calling upon the Respondents to show cause as to why the inactions of the respondents in publishing the report of the investigation commission submitted on 05 November, 2025 through media and provide copies to the victim families; informing all about steps taken against persons and authorities who are responsible for the approval and the violation of Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC) in the construction of Milestone School and College’s Uttara Campus and steps taken against persons accountable for the incidence of the aircraft crash; in taking effective steps to relocate this educational school at a safe place and stop academic activities at this campus till the relocation; and in informing all regarding steps taken for treatment, healthcare and providing adequate compensations for the victims and their families should not be declared to have been passed without lawful authority and is of no legal effect and why the concerned respondents should not be directed, jointly and severally, for providing adequate compensations to the surviving victims and the families of deceased students and others who died owing to the crash of aircraft.

Order
Judgment

Details

Justices

Ms. Justice Fahmida Quader and Mr. Justice Md. Ashif Hasan

Area of law: 

Article 31 and 32 of Bangladesh Constitution.

Keywords

Right to Life, Authority Negligence

Relevant statute

Bangladesh National Building Code

 

Date:

Details