SC wants the master plan of JS Bhaban

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the parliament secretariat to submit the master plan of Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban in three months.

A four-member bench of the Appellate Division, headed by Chief Justice SK Sinha, passed the order after hearing an appeal against the High Court verdict that had declared the residences of the Speaker and deputy speaker near parliament building illegal.

The apex court that the HC on June 21, 2004 had declared the residences of the speaker illegal without examining the master plan of Louis I kahn, said Additional Attorney General Murad Reza.

He said, the residences cannot be declared illegal without examining the master plan, which is now in the archive of Pennsylvania of State University.

The Awami League government during its first regime had first come up with the idea of building the residences of the speaker and deputy speaker in the parliament complex. Its plan was stalled in the face of widespread protests.

The BNP-led coalition government later ignored all protests to launch construction work of the two residences on 1.3 acres of land at a cost of Tk 2.88 crore.