The Supreme Court today deferred till Monday for passing its order on a petition filed by BGMEA seeking one year more for demolishing its 15-storey building in the capital's Hatirjheel area.

The apex court ordered the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) to modify its undertaking and to submit it before the court by Monday specifying who will be liable if the BGMEA building is not relocated in the next one year.

Earlier in the day, the BGMEA submitted an undertaking to the apex court saying that it will not seek extension of time if it gets one more year to demolish the building. It also said BGMEA’s current board of directors will remain liable if the building is not relocated by this time.

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BGMEA Building Demolition: SC annoyed by frequent pleas for time

The four-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain returned the undertaking to the BGMEA saying that the current board of directors of BGMEA may not remain in the office after one year. The BGMEA will remain liable if the order is not complied with, the court said.

The top court also asked the BGMEA to modify the undertaking saying that BGMEA must comply with the Supreme Court order that directed it to demolish the illegal building, Advocate Manzill Murshid, an amicus curiae (friend of court) of this case, told The Daily Star.

Advocate Quamrul Haque Siddiqui appeared for BGMEA.

Expressing serious discontent over its repeated pleas for time extension, the apex court yesterday asked BGMEA to submit an undertaking today to get a further one-year extension of the deadline for demolishing its building.

Earlier on June 2, 2016, the SC upheld a 2011 High Court verdict that ordered demolition of the BGMEA building.

The HC ordered the BGMEA authorities to demolish the building within three months, saying it was built on a land acquired through forgery, and that a part of the Begunbari canal was illegally filled with earth for constructing it.