HC orders closure of all illegal brickfields

High Court (HC) on Thursday directed the director general of the Department of Environment and all divisional commissioners to immediately shut down all illegal brick kilns across the country.

The HC also directed the respondents to submit a compliance report by December 14, detailing the steps taken to implement its directives.

A bench comprising Justice JBM Hassan and Justice Aziz Ahmed Bhuiyan passed the order following a follow-up hearing on a writ petition concerning illegal brick kilns.

Lawyers representing the petitioner told journalists that the court had issued a rule on November 13, 2022, directing the authorities to take action against illegal brick kilns.

The court had also directed the authorities to complete the process of removing illegal kilns and submit a comprehensive report on the matter.

Subsequently, the Brick Kiln Owners' Association filed an application in the case, seeking modification of the court's order and further directions. However, the court directed the authorities to shut down all illegal brick kilns and submit a compliance report.

The kiln owners later sought modification of the order to exclude zigzag brick kilns from its scope. Following a hearing, a division bench of the High Court led by Justice Farah Mahbub modified the order in response to the owners' application but upheld the directive to remove illegal brick kilns.