HC issues contempt of court rule against DSCC admin over Dhupkhola playground

The High Court today issued a contempt of court rule against Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Administrator Md Shahjahan Miah on the charge of continuing market construction on Dhupkhola playground at Gendaria, Ward No 45, ignoring its status quo order to halt all development activities.

In the rule, the court asked the DSCC administrator to explain in three months why contempt of court proceedings should not be drawn to punish him for violating its order. At the same time, the HC issued status quo on constructing structures, including markets, on the playground for the next three months.

The bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Debasish Roy Chowdhury came up with the rule and order after holding hearing on a contempt of court petition filed by Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA).

BELA's lawyer S Hasnaul Banna told The Daily Star that several organisations, including BELA, Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), Association for Land Reform and Development (ALRD), Nijera Kori, Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST), Nagorik Udyog, and Green Voice, filed a public interest litigation with the HC in 2023 challenging the legality of the DSCC's construction of a market on the Dhupkhola playground.

Following the petition, the HC on March 12, 2023 ordered the DSCC to preserve and protect Dhupkhola playground exclusively for public recreational use and imposed a status quo on construction activities on the same place.

Despite being officially notified of the court order on March 14, 2023, and again on January 23, 2025, the DSCC allegedly continued construction, which is tantamount to contempt of court, the lawyer said.

Advocate S Hasanul Banna represented BELA, while Deputy Attorney General Tanim Khan represented the state during hearing of the contempt of court petition.