Houses for speaker, deputy speaker can be built near parliament: SC

The Appellate Division has overturned a High Court order that declared the houses built for the speaker and deputy speaker in the parliament area were illegal.

The decision means that the homes are now considered legal, lawyers said.

A three-member appellate bench composed of Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique, Justice Obaidul Hassan and Justice M Enayetur Rahim made the decision on Tuesday after hearing an appeal from the state.

Lawyer Tanjib-ul Alam represented the petitioners who challenged the legality of the construction work, while Additional Attorney General Sheikh Mohammad Morshed appeared on behalf of the state.

“The Appellate Division has overturned the High Court decision against the construction of houses for the speaker and the deputy speaker in the parliament area,” said Morshed. “As a result, the houses built for the speaker and the deputy speaker are legal.”

Construction work on the houses began in 2002.

The following year, an environmental group, Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon, filed a writ petition in the High Court, challenging its validity on the ground that the construction plan violated architect Louis I Kahn's original design for the parliament complex.

After a hearing in 2004, the High Court ruled that the construction of the residences was illegal.

Later, the state appealed to the Appellate Division, seeking a stay on the High Court order. The apex court subsequently ruled in the state's favour and allowed an appeal against the High Court's ruling.

Construction of the houses was completed while the High Court order remained on hold.