The registrar office of the International Crimes Tribunal is likely to request the Law Ministry to take necessary actions because a huge crack has been detected in the tribunal building.
In early March, the chief prosecutor requested that the ministry immediately shift his office (west block of the tribunal building) from the old High Court building, stating that the roof was damp.
The prosecution then also warned that the whole tribunal building was at risk of collapse.
On Sunday, officials of the tribunal detected a crack on a first floor wall near the main staircase, and called engineers to check the wall.
A team of engineers visited the spot on Tuesday and after primary inspection suspected that it might have developed after the earthquake on
May 22.
Tribunal sources said the roof of the building was also risky.
They had known it since 2012, when a part of the false ceiling broke down on Investigation Officer Helal Uddin, who was conducting a case.
At that time, the false ceiling was replaced but the roof had not been renovated.
During heavy rains, the walls and the roof of the building become damp and water seeps through the ceiling.
More than 100 people including tribunal officials, employees, law enforcers, journalists and accused come to the tribunal building every working day and 20 prosecutors and around 40 other staff and researchers always visit the chief prosecutor’s office.
The government set up the first tribunal in March 2010 and the second tribunal in March 2012 in the eastern block of the old High Court building. It allotted the western block to the prosecution office.
The two-storey old High Court building was originally designed as the official residence of the governor of “East Bengal” province when Assam was created in 1905.
Documents say a new building was erected on the north side in ’60s and the High Court was shifted there.
“The government should take immediate steps as many experts have warned that the building may collapse at any time,” said prosecutor Zead-al-Malum.
Arunabha Chakrobharty, deputy registrar of the tribunal, admitted that the cracks were not normal and that they were taking the matter seriously.
He said: “We observed the condition of the cracks, and informed the engineers and the authorities concerned to take measures.”