A Dhaka court has taken cognizance of the charges against five accused, including Hossain Imam Faruque, landowner of FR Tower, in a case filed for forgery in the design of the ill-fated building located in Banani, Dhaka.
Judge KM Emrul Kayes of Senior Special Judge's Court in Dhaka accepted the charge sheet with the four accused present in court, on Tuesday.
The court issued an arrest warrant for Humayun Khadem, former chairman of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk), as he did not appear in court on the day.
The court also directed the officer-in-charge of Ramna police station to submit a report by March 5 on the execution of the arrest warrant.
Landowner Hossain Imam Faruque, Rupayan Group Chairman Liaquat Ali Khan, Rajuk Chief Engineer Saidur Rahman, and Rajuk Authorised Officer Mokbul Hossain, were present in court.
On October 29, Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) Deputy Director Abu Bakar Siddique submitted the charge sheet to the court against the five accused.
The building caught fire on March 27 last, that left 25 people dead and 73 others injured.
During the investigation, the ACC found that the 23-storey FR Tower had no fire alarm, has narrow exit points and staircases, and the fire exits were blocked.
The authorities had legal permission for a 15-storey building but they made the FR Tower a 23-storey one over time.
Earlier on June 25, the ACC filed two cases against 23 people, including FR Tower owners and two chairmen of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk), for their alleged involvement in illegally extending the tower beyond the permitted number of floors.