SC stays HC order on Russel’s compensation

The Supreme Court (SC) today stayed a High Court (HC) order that asked Green Line Paribahan to pay Tk 40 lakh in a Tk 5 lakh instalment to Russel Sarker, who lost his leg after a bus of the company ran him over last year.

A four-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain passed the order following a petition filed by Green Line Paribahan challenging the HC order.

The stay order will continue till disposal of the HC rule issued in this regard in May last year, Advocate Shah Monjurul Hoque, the lawyer for Green Line Paribahan told The Daily Star.

He said that his client does not need to pay the instalment following the SC order.

The assessment on which the HC has ordered Green Line Paribahan to pay Tk 50 lakh to Russel Sarker was not accurate, Advocate Monjurul Hoque said.

The lawyer also said his client has given Tk 10 lakh in two instalments and Tk 3.5 lakh as treatment cost to Russel Sarker.

On April 4 last year, Russel, a 26-year-old car driver, lost his leg from below the knee after he was knocked down by a Green Line bus near Mayor Hanif Flyover in Dhaka.

An altercation broke out between Russel and the bus driver over rear-ending his car. As Russel chased the bus, its driver ran him over.

On June 25 this year, the HC ordered the bus company to give Tk 45 lakh to Russel in monthly instalments of Tk 5 lakh, to paid within the seventh day of each month.

Green Line Paribahan was also directed to give the first instalment by July 7 and to submit a compliance report to the court on July 16.

But the company did not pay the money.

On July 16, the HC bench set today’s date for passing further order on this issue.

On that day, the writ petitioner’s lawyer Khandakar Shamsul Haque Reza, in a statement, told the HC that Russel Sarker got a total of Tk 8 lakh for his treatment and compensation from Green Line.

Green Line Paribahan paid the first instalment of Tk 5 Lakh on July 29 and the second on August 5.