Pay Tk 100cr to Moon Cinema Hall by June 30: SC

The Supreme Court has extended till June 30 next year the order that asked Freedom Fighters’ Welfare Trust to pay Tk 100 crore to the owner of Moon Cinema Hall.

Moon Cinema Hall, which was located on Waiz Ghat Road in Dhaka, was handed over to FFWT during the Martial Law regime of 1975-79.

A seven-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain passed the extension order when Attorney General Mahbubey Alam sought more time.

The court today was hearing a contempt of court petition filed by Maksudul Alam, currently managing director of Bangladesh Italian Marble Works Ltd who was the owner of Moon Cinema Hall.

The Apex Court on October 8 this year ordered the Freedom Fighters’ Welfare Trust to pay Tk 100 crore to the owner of Moon Cinema Hall.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam told the SC that the finance ministry has allocated Tk 100 crore in the budget for FFWT for giving it to the owner of Moon Cinema Hall.

Delivering a verdict on the case against the constitution's fifth amendment, the SC on May 11, 2011 had directed Freedom Fighters' Welfare Fund to return properties of Moon Cinema in three months.

As the order went unheeded, Maksudul filed the contempt of court petition with the SC in January 2013 against the government authorities concerned and Freedom Fighters' Welfare Trust.

The SC in January 2017 directed eminent civil engineer Prof Jamilur Reza Choudhury to assess the cost of properties of Moon Cinema Hall, which has already been turned into a development structure.

Jamilur Reza Chowdhury submitted a report to the SC assessing the cost of the property at around Tk 100 crore.

During hearing on the contempt of court petition, the SC on January 17 this year directed the FFWT to compensate around Tk 100 crore to the owner of the then Moon Cinema Hall in three installments by July 30.