Airport Road accident: SC upholds Tk 5 lakh compensation to victims’ families

The Supreme Court today upheld a High Court order that directed Jabal-e-Noor Paribahan to pay Tk 5 lakh to each of the families of two students who were killed in a road accident on Dhaka’s Airport Road on July 29.

Students of Shaheed Ramiz Uddin Cantonment College -- Abdul Karim alias Rajib Uddin Rajib, 18, and Dia Khanam Mim, 17 -- were run over and killed by a bus of the transport company on July 29.

Nine other students of the college were also injured as the bus ploughed into a crowd waiting to board a bus at Kurmitola to return home.

Today, chamber judge of the SC’s Appellate Division Justice Hasan Foez Siddique passed “no order” on a petition filed by Jabal-e-Noor Paribahan seeking stay on the HC order.

Following a writ petition filed by SC lawyer Barrister Md Ruhul Quddus Kazal, the HC on July 31 ordered Jabal-e-Noor Paribahan to pay Tk 5 lakh to the families of Rajib and Dia in seven days and to bear the expenses for treatment of the injured.

The HC also issued a rule asking the authorities concerned to explain why a directive should not be issued on the owner of Jabal-e-Noor Paribahan to give Tk 2 crore as compensation to each of the families of the two students killed in the accident.

After the SC’s chamber judge passed the order today, Barrister Ruhul Quddus Kazal told The Daily Star that the HC order will remain in force following the SC order and therefore, Jabal-e-Noor Paribahan must pay Tk 5 lakh to the families of Rajib and Dia.

Advocate Pankaj Kumar Kundu appeared for Jabal-e-Noor Paribahan.