A Dhaka court has framed charges against 10 accused including Rana Plaza owner Sohel Rana in a case filed over violation of Bangladesh National Building Code in the construction of Rana Plaza, which collapsed in 2013 and killed more than 1,100 people.
Dhaka Divisional Special Judge M Ataoar Rahman framed the charges on Sunday, dropping the charges against eight other accused in the case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
Sohel Rana’s parents Abdul Khaleque and Marjina Begum are among the accused charged in the case.
The accused were present at the court when the judge read out the charges against them. They pleaded not guilty and demanded justice.
The court fixed July 5 for recording testimonies of prosecution witnesses.
The seven other accused are: Savar Mayor Mohammad Refatullah, former Savar municipality CEO Uttam Kumar Roy, Executive Engineer Rafiqul Islam, former assistant engineer Mahabubur Rahman, engineer Rakibul Hasan, former town planner Farzana Islam and Licence Inspector Abdul Motalib.
Among the 10 accused, only Sohel Rana is currently in jail; the others are out on bail.
The accused who were freed from the charges are: former ward commissioner Md Ali Khan, Khulna University Associate Professor ATM Masud Reza, engineer Sajjad Hossain, former Savar municipality secretaries Abul Basar and Marzina Khan, and three RMG unit owners – Phantom Apparels Ltd Chairman Md Aminul Islam, New Wave Bottom Limited Managing Director Bazlus Samad and Ether Tex Limited Chairman Azizur Rahman.
The eight-storey Rana Plaza in Savar, Dhaka, which housed five RMG factories, collapsed onApril 24, 2013 killing at least 1,134 people and injuring more than 2,500, most of whom were RMG workers.
On May 20, 2015, the ACC filed a graft case against the accused with Savar police sation for violating the building code.
On July 16, 2016, ACC Deputy Director SM Mofidul Islam submitted the charge sheet against the 18 accused.
Thursday, June 04, 2026
