12 years gone: Murder trial still incomplete

The Rana Plaza collapse in Savar remains the deadliest industrial disaster in Bangladesh’s history. On April 24, 2013, the eight-story commercial building crumbled, killing 1,136 people and shocking the entire world. Yet, more than a decade later, the murder trial stemming from the tragedy has yet to be completed even at the trial court level. The long judicial process—which still has to go through the High Court and potentially the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court after a trial court verdict—is prolonging the agony for victims and their families.

According to the charge sheet filed by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), on the morning of April 23, 2013, cracks appeared in the pillars and walls on the third floor of the Rana Plaza building. BGMEA officials visited the site and advised the garment factory owners to halt operations until structural experts from BUET could inspect the building. However, defying the warnings, five garment factory owners and their associates threatened the workers and forced them to return the next day. Sohel Rana, the building owner, reportedly declared, “Rana Plaza won’t collapse even in the next 100 years.”

The building housed five garment factories that installed heavy-duty electric generators and sewing machines. Despite the visible cracks, the owners kept the factories running. On the morning of April 24, around 9 a.m., a power outage occurred, prompting the simultaneous operation of three generators. Immediately afterward, the building collapsed with a thunderous crash, turning the site into a graveyard. In addition to the 1,136 deaths, over 200 people went missing, and more than 2,000 were injured—many permanently disabled.

On January 15 of last year, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court ordered that the murder case over the Rana Plaza disaster be resolved within six months. It also upheld the suspension of Sohel Rana’s bail granted by the High Court. Despite this, the case remains stuck at the witness deposition stage.

Shishir Monir, a defense lawyer, told Views Bangladesh that after being stalled for nearly six years by a High Court order, the trial resumed in 2022. Although it gained some momentum, the main accused, Sohel Rana, received bail from the High Court. However, the Appellate Division later stayed that order, keeping him in jail. “Since the trial hasn't concluded, many accused have remained in custody for years,” he added.

There are four separate cases connected to the Rana Plaza collapse—one murder case filed by police, one by RAJUK (Capital Development Authority), and two corruption cases filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). Verdicts have been delivered in the ACC cases, but the murder trial is still underway. Testimony in the case filed under the Building Construction Act by RAJUK has been on hold for eight years due to a court order.

Another defense lawyer, Faruq Ahmed, said that the initial murder case was filed for "negligent and reckless homicide" by SI Wali Ashraf of Savar Police Station. On April 26, 2015, CID’s Assistant Superintendent of Police Bijoy Krishna Karmakar submitted the charge sheet against 41 individuals, including Sohel Rana, under Section 302 for murder. On July 18, 2016, District and Sessions Judge SM Kuddus Zaman ordered the trial to begin after framing charges.

Out of the 41 accused in the murder case, only Sohel Rana remains in custody. Three others—his father Abdul Khalek, Abu Bakkar Siddique, and Abul Hossain—have since died. The rest are out on bail. Following a lengthy stay order, the trial finally resumed on January 31, 2022, under Judge AHM Habibur Rahman Bhuiyan. Since then, only 167 out of 594 listed witnesses have testified over a span of more than three years.

Dhaka Metropolitan Public Prosecutor Md Omar Faruq Faruqui told Views Bangladesh that the trial had been suspended for nearly six years under the previous Awami League government due to a High Court order. “Since the stay was lifted in 2022, witness depositions have resumed. But we're facing difficulties in locating many witnesses. Some are no longer living at their recorded addresses, while others are too ill or disabled to attend court. Still, we try to hear from at least 7-8 witnesses per session to speed up the trial,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Building Construction Act case related to the same incident has remained suspended for nine years. Additional Attorney General Mohammad Arshadur Rouf said that the case was filed by RAJUK official Md Helal Uddin after it was found that the building had been constructed in violation of construction laws. CID’s Bijoy Krishna Karmakar submitted the charge sheet on April 26, 2015, against 18 people including Sohel Rana.

On June 14, 2016, Chief Judicial Magistrate Mostafizur Rahman ordered the trial to begin after framing charges. Several accused challenged the order, and some received relief. For example, the High Court granted exemption to Muhammad Aminul Islam, chairman of Phantom Apparels Ltd. On November 7, 2021, the High Court imposed a stay on proceedings at the request of accused Refayet Ullah. On November 19 of last year, the District and Sessions Court called for the case files to coordinate witness hearings with the murder case, but testimony has yet to begin due to the ongoing stay orders.

Sohel Rana also received a three-year prison sentence on August 29, 2017, in a non-submission case for failing to declare his assets. He was fined Tk 50,000, with an additional three-month sentence if unpaid. His mother, Marzina Begum, was sentenced to six years of imprisonment on March 29, 2018, for illegally amassing wealth and providing false information. The court also ordered the confiscation of her assets worth over Tk 66.7 million.

Despite all these developments, there is still no clear indication as to when the final verdict in the main murder trial will be delivered—leaving both the prosecution and defense in uncertainty.