Govt gives cheque of Tk 992m to Moon Cinema Hall owner as cost

Staff Reporter :
The owner of the Moon Cinema Hall on Tuesday received a cheque of Tk 992.17 million from the government for the cost of the cinema hall’s space and property.
The cheque was handed over to cinema hall’s owner Maksudul Alam, currently Managing Director of Bangladesh Italian Marble Works Ltd, through the Appellate Division.
A four-member Bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, however, directed Maksudul Alam to register the land of Moon Cinema Hall infavour of Freedom Fighters’ Welfare Trust (FFWT) immediately.
The apex court passed the order during hearing a contempt of court petition filed by Maksudul Alam. The Court fixed January 5 for passing further order over the issue.
Fifth Amendment of the Constitution was declared illegal by the High Court following the case filed over the ownership of the cinema hall. Maksudul Alam was the plaintiff of the case. In the case, Maksudul claimed the ownership of the property of the Moon Cinema Hall.
Moon Cinema Hall, which was established on Wise Ghat Road in Dhaka, was handed over to Freedom Fighters’ Welfare Trust (FFWT) during the Martial Law regime of 1975-79.
On October 8, the Supreme Court directed FFWT to pay Tk 992.17 million to the owner of Moon Cinema Hall by December 9, 2018.
Delivering a verdict in 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 a contempt of court petition with the SC in January 2013 against the government authorities concerned and FFWT.
Later the government said that the there was no scope to return the Cinema Hall to its owner. The owner may get compensation for it, added the government in its statement submitted in the court.
Following the statement, 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 to Tk 990.17 million.
During hearing on the contempt of court petition, the SC on January 17 this year directed the FFWT to compensate around Tk 990.17 million to the owner of the then Moon Cinema Hall in three instalments by July 30. But the government sought time from the court to pay the dues.
Advocate Ajmalul Hossain appeared in the court on behalf of Maksudul Alam while Attorney General Mahbubey Alam stood for the state.