The High Court today issued a contempt of court rule against 14 government high officials including four secretaries for their failure in complying with its 2015 order over protecting a canal from encroachment in Bhola.

In the rule, the court asked the officials to explain in four weeks as to why they should not be prosecuted for contempt of court due to their failure in implementing its directives.

The officials are the land secretary, acting secretary to the ministries of environment and forest, fisheries and livestock secretary, senior secretary to water resources ministry, chairman of national river protection commission, director general of department of environment, director general of Bangladesh water development board, chairman of Bangladesh inland water transport authority, deputy commissioner and superintendent of Bhola, director of DoE (Barisal), upazila nirbahi officer(UNO), mayor and assistant commissioner of land of Bhola.

The HC bench of Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam and Justice Ashish Ranjan Das came up with the rule after hearing a contempt of court petition filed by Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association(Bela).

In the petition, Bela said the HC on May 4 directed the respondents to remove illegal structures from Bhola canal at Charjangla Mouja under Bhola Sadar upazila and to submit its environmental management plan to this court in four weeks.

The respondents did not comply with the directive and therefore, illegal structures and wastages from shops are now restricting the flow of water of the canal and polluting the environment, the petitioner stated in the petition. Advocate Ali Mostafa Khan appeared in the court for Bela.