The Supreme Court today fixed May 17 to hear a petition filed by Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) seeking a stay on a High Court order that had asked it to pay Tk 50 lakh to the family of Rajib Hossain, who lost his right hand in a road crash and later died last month.

After a brief hearing on the petition, Chamber Judge of Justice Hasan Foez Siddique fixed the date and sent it to the SC full bench for its hearing.

The HC order will remain in force till further order of the apex court, barrister RuhulQuddus Kajal, who moved the leave to appeal petition before the court, told The Daily Star.

Following a writ petition, the HC on May 8 ordered the owners of two buses -- BRTC and Sajan Paribahan -- to pay Tk 1 crore to the family of Rajib Hossain.

The bus owners have been asked to initially pay Tk 50 lakh within a month, to an account to be jointly opened under the names of Rajib's aunt Jahanara Begum, and their relative Omar Faruk, at Sonali Bank's Motijheel branch.

Rajib lost his right hand after it got stuck between two speeding buses that were trying to overtake each other in Bangla Motor area in Dhaka on April 3.

After two weeks in coma, Rajib, a third-year student of Government Titumir College, died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) on April 17.