SC denies Momen Anjuman vested property for now

The Supreme Court yesterday overturned a High Court verdict that had directed the government to give ownership of 0.47 acres of vested property in Lalbagh of the capital to charitable organisation Momen Anjuman.

The SC also asked the HC to hold further hearing on the writ petition filed by Momen Anjuman, which claimed ownership of the land worth about Tk 50 crore on purchase, and to adjudicate the petition in four months.

A five-member bench of the apex court passed the verdict following a petition filed by the land ministry seeking review of its 2009 verdict.

In 2009, the SC had dismissed an appeal filed by the land ministry challenging the HC verdict.

Responding to a petition of the charitable organisation, the HC in April 2006 directed the land ministry to exclude the 0.47 acres of land from the list of vested property, and give it to Momen Anjuman.

The ministry's lawyer Manzill Murshid told The Daily Star that the HC judged in favour of Momen Anjuman as the organisation claimed that the land in question was included on the list of vested property in 1983, which is illegal.

According to a SC verdict in 1974, the government cannot include any land on the list of vested property after that year, he said.

Manzill said he placed a document before the SC showing that the property was included on the list of vested property in 1970, and therefore, inclusion of the land on the list was legal.

Momen Anjuman's lawyer Mahmudul Islam opposed the review petition saying his client had purchased the property in 1962 and the government cannot claim its ownership as per relevant law.