CHATTOGRAM, June 17, 2025 (BSS) - A Chattogram court has set July 1 for charge framing hearing against former Cox's Bazar District and Sessions Judge Md. Sadiqul Islam Talukder and former DC Md. Ruhul Amin, along with five others, in a case involving forgery of land acquisition documents.
 
Judge Mizanur Rahman of Chattogram Divisional Special Judge's Court passed the order today. The five accused individuals were present in the court at the time. The remaining accused in the case are District and Sessions Judge's Court stenographer Zafar Ahmed, lawyer Mostaq Ahmed Chowdhury and Nazir Swapan Kanti Pal from the Deputy Commissioner's Office. 

According to court sources, the case was filed by AKM Kaisarul Islam Chowdhury, a resident of Matarbari in Maheshkhali upazila.

He filed the case with the Cox’s Bazar Senior Special Judge’s Court on November 19, 2014, accusing then-DC Md Ruhul Amin as the main suspect among 28 individuals.

However, the then District and Sessions Judge Md. Sadiqul Islam Talukder omitted the name of the main accused Ruhul Amin while sending the documents to the ACC for investigation.

Upon discovering this, the plaintiff filed a forgery of documents case against seven people including the judge. 

Following the investigation, Assistant Director of the Cox's Bazar Integrated District Office of the ACC, Md. Riaz Uddin, filed a charge sheet against five people on January 1, 2024.

The investigation revealed the involvement of the plaintiff's lawyer, Nazir and stenographer in addition to the former DC and district judge. However, the ACC acquitted former public prosecutor of Cox's Bazar court Abdur Rahim and former additional deputy commissioner of Cox's Bazar SM Shah Habibur Rahman due to a lake of evidence.

Recently, the case was transferred to the Chattogram Divisional Special Judge's Court for trial. ACC’s  Chattogram Court Special Prosecutor Kazi Sanowar Hossain Lablu said that the five accused, who were on interim bail, appeared in court on the scheduled date of the case. The court extended their bail until the day of the hearing of the charge sheet.

The case involves an alleged embezzlement of approximately Tk 20 crore during the land acquisition process for the Matarbari power plant project.

The court acknowledged the case and directed the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to investigate.

 “The former DC was jailed over allegations of document forgery related to the land acquisition case. The plaintiff later filed another case after discovering further irregularities,” court sources said. 

Following an investigation, ACC Assistant Director Md Riaz Uddin submitted a charge sheet against five individuals to the court on July 1 last year.