Seven months have elapsed since the Rana Plaza building at Savar collapsed, but the investigators are yet to finalise charge sheets in three out of five cases in connection with the disaster.
Eight accused have already secured bail from the High Court in the midst of procrastination of the investigation agencies preparing the charge sheets that may be submitted next month.
The number one accused in the police case and Rana’s father Abdul Khalek got bail in the month of October.
The other accused – Savar Municipality Engineers Emtemum Hossain, Rakibul Hassan and Refayet Ullah; its ward councilor Mohammad Ali Khan; and Abul Hasan, Anil Dash and Shah Alam, who gave Sohel Rana, building owner, shelter at Faridpur and Jessore also got bail.
Sources said local engineer Abdur Razzak who after visiting the building said the building could still be used submitted bail prayer eight times to the lower court.
The court rejected his bail plea all the time. Now, his is trying to secure bail form the High Court.
On the other hand, after getting bail, Rana’s father Abdul Khalek is now trying to secure bail for his son in the same way.
Anowarul Kabir Babul, additional public prosecutor of Dhaka Chief Judicial Magistrate Court, told the Dhaka Tribune the hearing on Rana Plaza disaster cases would be held today.
He, however, said the charge sheets would not be submitted on the day because investigations into the cases were yet to be completed.
Asked about the delay in charge sheet submission, he said the investigation officer might be taking more time to probe as it was an important case.
He added that the total number of the accused was 21 in the murder case and 12 in the case filed under the building construction act.
According to the lower court documents, the three accused – Anil Das, Shah Alam Mithu and Abul Hasan – who sheltered Rana in Faridpur and Jessore and tried to help him flee the country, gave confessional statements on May 5.
The Rana Plaza collapse on 24 April claimed at least 1,134 lives – mostly workers belonging to five garment factories housed in the building and left around 2,500 others injured.
Rajuk’s authorised officer Helal Uddin filed a case on April 25 for breaching the building construction act and building code while the murder case was filed on the same day with Savar police station.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is currently investigating the cases. Contacted, Bijoy Krishno Kar, senior assistant superintendent of CID and investigation officer of the case, told the Dhaka Tribune that they were giving top priority to both cases to ensure that criminals got no mercy.
He, however, refused to give details of the other accused for the interest of investigation.