A Dhaka court on Thursday rejected a case petition filed against 16 individuals, including former Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus, former Law Adviser Dr Asif Nazrul and Bangladesh Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmud Khan, over the deaths in the Milestone School and College aircraft crash in Uttara.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Ariful Islam dismissed the petition, stating that it lacked sufficient grounds for taking cognisance.
The case was filed earlier in the day by Usaimong Marma, father of victim Ukkya Chaing Marma, accusing the defendants of negligence and fraud. The court recorded the complainant's statement before issuing the order.
Others named in the petition included senior Air Force officers, school authorities, and several former government advisers and officials.
On July 21 last year, a Bangladesh Air Force training aircraft crashed into a two-storey building of Milestone School and College in Uttara, killing 36 people and injuring 124. An investigation later attributed the accident to pilot error.
The other accused include Air Vice Marshal Morshed Mohammad Khair Ul Afsar, Group Captain Rifat Akhtar Ziku, Milestone School and College Principal Mohammad Ziaul Alam, adviser Colonel Nur Nabi (retd), Principal (Administration) Masud Alam, Principal (School Section) Rifat Nabi, the RAJUK chairman, a field supervisor of Uttara, Education Ministry Secretary Siddiq Zubair, Defence Ministry secretary, former education adviser CR Abrar, former environment adviser Dr Syeda Rizwana Hasan and former press secretary Shafiqul Alam.
The petition alleges negligence causing death and fraud.
