The High Court yesterday issued a contempt rule against 10 tannery owners for creating obstacle to implementing its earlier order over shifting the tanneries from Dhaka’s Hazaribagh to Savar. The HC bench asked the 10 tannery owners to explain in two weeks why contempt of court proceedings should not be initiated against them for creating obstruction to implement its judgment delivered in 2001.  In response to a contempt of court petition, the HC bench of Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam and Justice Jafar Ahmed issued the rule.
The 10 tannery owners are Arefin Shamsul Al Amin, managing director of Rana Labour of Industries limited, Sayedul Haque Master, proprietor of M/S Jules Enterprise, Mahbubur Rahman Panna, proprietor of M/S Pubali Tanneries, Giasuddin Ahmed Pathan, managing director of Rumi Leather Industries Limited, Abdus Salam, proprietor of M/S Salam Tannery, Rezaul Karim Ansary, proprietor of Karim Lather Limited, Abdul Wadud Mia, proprietor of M/S Mahim Tannery,  Abdul Wahab, proprietor of M/S Nabipun Tannery, Mafiz Mia, proprietor of M/S Asia Tannery, and Akbar Hossain, managing director of M/S paramount Tannery.
President of rights body Human Rights for Peace of Bangladesh (HRPB) Advocate Manzill Murshid filed the contempt petition with the High Court.
The HRPB filed the petition following a report submitted by the industries secretary stating that though the government had been working to shift the tanneries in order to save the Buriganga River, the government could not do this due to the unwillingness of some tannery owners.
Later, the industries secretary provided the HRPB the names of 10 owners who were responsible for creating obstacles to implementing the HC directives. Getting the names, the HRPB filed the contempt of court petition against them.