There is no longer any legal obstacle to continuing construction of the Dhaka Elevated Expressway and a four-lane railway line beneath it, Attorney General Ruhul Quddus Kazal has said.
He said an order by the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has resolved a seven-year legal dispute that had stalled development work in the area.
On Wednesday, a chamber court of Appellate Division Justice Md Rezaul Haque passed an order clarifying that the government could proceed with construction of the elevated expressway and the four-lane railway line beneath it. Following the hearing, the court directed that the development work continue.
It also instructed the authorities to take necessary and effective measures regarding compensation, or award money, for AM Mostafizur Rahman, who claims ownership of the land.
Additional Attorneys General Arshadur Rouf and Aneek R Haque, along with Deputy Attorney General Osman Chowdhury, represented the state during the hearing. Lawyer Md Nurul Amin appeared for the opposing party.
Speaking later, Attorney General Ruhul Quddus Kazal said a long-running ownership dispute between Bangladesh Railway and AM Mostafizur Rahman over land in the Peyarabagh area of Moghbazar had halted development work there for nearly seven years.
According to attorney general, Mostafizur Rahman filed a case with the Land Survey Tribunal in 2019, and the tribunal ruled in his favour on 29 May that year.
As the Land Survey Appellate Tribunal had not been established at the time, the government initially approached the Supreme Court but received no order. After the appellate tribunal was formed, the government filed an appeal, which was decided in favour of Bangladesh Railway on 2 September 2026.
Mostafizur Rahman subsequently challenged that ruling by filing a writ petition with the High Court Division. On 28 September this year, the High Court ordered the parties to maintain the status quo, putting the development work in uncertainty once again.
The state, the Ministry of Railways, the deputy commissioner and the settlement officer then filed civil miscellaneous petitions with the Appellate Division challenging the High Court order.
The petitions were heard by the chamber court on Wednesday, leading to the latest order allowing the development work to proceed.
