HC orders BRTA to give Tk5 lakh to child born in accident

The High Court on Tuesday asked the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) to give Tk5 lakh to the child whose birth was forced after a truck ran over her pregnant mother in Trishal, Mymensingh.

The chairman of the BRTA's welfare trust formed for the accident victims has been asked to pay this amount to the guardian of the child within 15 days.

At the same time, the court asked the Ministry of Social Welfare to form a committee to take care of the child. The court directed the ministry to submit a report in this regard to the court within three months.

The HC also asked the government authorities concerned to explain why the child's family would not be given adequate compensation.

The secretary of Women and Child Affairs Ministry, social welfare secretary, road transport secretary, the BRTA, BRTA's welfare trustee board chairman and truck owner Manjurul Islam were asked to respond to this rule within four weeks.

The bench of Justice Khizir Ahmed Choudhury and Justice Md Zakir Hossain gave the order after hearing on a writ petition regarding it.

Barrister Syed Mahasib Hossain moved for the writ and Deputy Attorney General Protikar Chakma was the state lawyer.

The child was born during a road accident that left three of her family members, including her parents, dead on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway on Saturday. The accident occurred around 2:30pm near the court building area in Trishal upazila.

On 18 July, barrister Syed Mahasib Hossain filed this writ in the HC on behalf of lawyer Kaniz Fatema Tunazzina.

The writ petition has sought investigation into the accident.