The High Court has issued a rule on the daily Prothom Alo seeking explanation as to why it shall not be directed to pay Tk 100 crore in compensation to Dhaka Residential Model College and the family of Naimul Abrar Rahat, a student of the college, who was electrocuted in 2019.
A HC division bench comprising Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman passed the order on Tuesday following a writ petition jointly filed by college principal Brig Gen Kazi Shameem Farhad and Abrar’s father Mojibur Rahman.
The college authorities in the writ demanded Tk 50 crore from the Bengali daily for damaging reputation of their educational institution while Abrar’s family demanded Tk 50 crore in compensation for his death.
In the petition, the college principal said Prothom Alo was responsible for ensuring safety of electricity lines as per a deal signed between the college and the newspaper.
On November 1, 2019, Abrar, a ninth grader, died in electric shock during a function organised by Kishore Alo, a magazine of the Prothom Alo, on the campus of Dhaka Residential Model School and College.
Abrar’s father Mojibur Rahman filed a case against Prothom Alo editor Matiur Rahman and some others on November 6 in connection with the death of his son caused by negligence of the daily.
On November 12 last year, Judge KM Imrul Kayesh of Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Court indicted nine people, including Matiur Rahman in the case.
In June of that year, Brigadier General Kazi Shameem Farhad filed a writ petition with the HC seeking order on Prothom Alo to pay Tk 50 crore to the college and Tk 50 crore to victim Naimul's family in compensation.
Earlier, the HC in an order withheld hearing of the writ saying that the family of the victim has to be a party to this petition. Accordingly, the name of Abrar’s father was included in a supplementary petition
Advocate SM abdur Rouf appeared for the petitioners while Deputy Attorney General Bipul Baghmar stood for the state during hearing of the writ in the High Court.
BDFT: 2233 HRS, SEP 21, 2021
SMS
