RANA PLAZA DISASTER Rana’s trial not held in 4 years

No trial of collapsed Rana Plaza owner Sohel Rana took place in four years since the disaster killed 1,136 people mostly female apparel factory workers and left over 200 others injured at Savar on April 24, 2013.
Sohel Rana, local Juba League leader at Savar, his parents, Abdul Khaleque and Morjina Begum and five apparel factory owners are accused in 14 criminal cases relating to the Rana Plaza disaster which claimed so many innocent lives.
In one case, 42 accused face the charge of murder of 1,136 person, mostly female workers of apparel factories and maiming scores of others. 
In another case, Sohel Rana and 17other accused face the charge of constructing Rana Plaza flouting the Building Code. 
Sohel Rana and the same 17 co- accused face corruption charge over getting Rana Plaza construction plan approved local municipal officials by bribing them. 
Rights lawyers said that also pending with the 1st Labour Court of Dhaka district are 11 other cases filed by the Department of Inspection of Factories and Establishments against Sohel Rana and five apparel factory owners over their failure to provide prior notice to the victims that Rana Plaza became a risky building after cracks developed on it.
Illegally constructed and risky Rana Plaza housed five apparel factories, a shopping mall and a bank branch and the disaster that struck on the morning of April 24, 2013 sent shock waves across the world.
The trial of 42 accused of the murders and leaving scores maimed remained pending with the Dhaka district and sessions judges’ court since December 2016.
Public prosecutor Khondaker Abdul Mannan told New Age Saturday that the trial remained halted since seven accused obtained stay on the proceedings.
Had the PP informed him in due time said attorney general Mahbubey Alam that he would have moved the High Court Division to get the stay vacated long ago. 
The criminal case relating to illegally constructing the Rana Plaza and three floors from the fifth to the eighth against 18 accused remained pending with the chief judicial magistrate of Dhaka district since June 2016, said additional assistant Public prosecutor Anwarul Kabir Babul.
He said that the trial of the building code violation filed by Rajuk could not begin as the apparel factory owners got the case records transferred to Dhaka district and sessions court to get their appeals heard.
ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan said that the trial of 18 accused of obtaining forged construction plan approval from Rajuk through corruption remained pending with the Dhaka Divisional Special Judge’s Court since January.
In the corruption case filed by the Anti- Corruption Commission the 18 accused include former mayor of Savar and owners of Rana Plaza as well as the owners Ether Tex, New Wave Bottoms, New Wave Style, Phantom Apparels and Phantom Tac. 

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