Court frames charges against ex-MP Salam Murshedy, 12 others in Gulshan land grab case
Judge Md Abdus Salam of Dhaka Special Judge's Court-9 dismissed the discharge petitions filed by the accused and fixed 19 August for recording witness testimony.
A Dhaka court today (6 July) framed charges against 13 individuals, including former member of parliament Abdus Salam Murshedy, in a case over the misappropriation of 27 kathas of government land in the capital's Gulshan-2 area, formally opening the trial.
Judge Md Abdus Salam of Dhaka Special Judge's Court-9 dismissed the discharge petitions filed by the accused and fixed 19 August for recording witness testimony.
Defence lawyer Khademul Islam confirmed the development.
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Salam Murshedy and the other accused currently in custody were produced before the court, while those on bail appeared and marked their attendance.
Defence lawyers, including Ehsanul Haque Samaji, Masud Ahmed Talukdar, Borhan Uddin, Shahinur Islam and Khademul Islam, argued for the discharge of their clients. Following the hearing, the court rejected the petitions and ordered the framing of charges.
The other accused are former Rajuk chairman Humayun Khadem, engineer M Azizul Hoke, former Rajuk member (estate) Lt Col (retd) M Nurul Haq, former director Abdur Rahman Bhuiyan, former deputy director (estate) Md Azharul Islam, former superintendent Md Habib Ullah, former assistant secretary of the Ministry of Housing and Public Works Abdus Sobhan, former section assistant Md Mahbubul Haque, and Mir Mohammad Hasan and his brother Mir Mo Nurul Afsar, both residents of Ramu in Cox's Bazar.
According to the charge sheet, the accused allegedly acted in collusion and abused their authority to create forged records relating to a 27-katha plot located on Road No 104 in the Gulshan Residential Area.
The charge sheet states that although the property was listed as abandoned land under Schedule 'Kha' in a gazette published by the Ministry of Housing and Public Works, the accused allegedly prepared false documents and facilitated transfer permission and mutation approval, creating an opportunity to misappropriate the government property.
The case was filed under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471 and 109 of the Penal Code, as well as Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947.
Salam Murshedy was arrested on 1 October 2024 and has remained in custody since then.
