The trial of the 2019 FR Tower fire case in Dhaka, which killed 26 people and injured 71, has encountered delays as several accused have approached the High Court seeking to halt proceedings. One accused, BNP leader Tajvirul Islam, has already obtained a stay order on the trial. The case, currently under the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court, began in August last year after charges were framed against seven defendants. The next hearing for witness testimony is scheduled for April 5.

The case was filed following the March 28, 2019 fire at the FR Tower on Banani’s Kamal Ataturk Avenue. After investigation, police charged eight individuals in December 2022, excluding Rupayan Group chairman Liakat Ali Khan Mukul. The court later ordered further investigation by the Police Bureau of Investigation. Two of the accused have since died.

Defense lawyers argue that the accused were flat owners, not involved in the building’s construction, and that the real culprits were excluded from the charge sheet. The prosecution maintains readiness to proceed with witness testimony unless the High Court’s stay order prevents it.