Photo-collected.
Dhaka //

Steps have been taken to declare the Chief Justice’s residence at 19 Hare Road in the capital as a protected monument. The Department of Archeology has already started activities in this regard.

This information was informed on Thursday in a circular of the Supreme Court administration. It was informed that as part of the process of declaring protected antiquities, the Directorate of Archeology has ordered the Regional Director of the Dhaka and Mymensingh Division of the Directorate of Archeology to visit the residence of the Chief Justice and give a report on Wednesday.

In the notification, it was informed that in view of the unexpected damage to the residence of the Chief Justice in the uprising of the students on August 5, Chief Justice Syed Refat Ahmed has taken the initiative to permanently preserve this historically important structure. The Chief Justice emphasized on how to ensure the protection of this historical structure especially from the existing legal framework of Bangladesh.

According to the notification, according to the provisions of the Archeology Act, 1968, the ownership of the residence remains intact in favor of the Supreme Court and if it is preserved, it will be considered as a national treasure in public opinion. Through this the future generations of the country will be aware of the rich history of this establishment. For this purpose, a special meeting was held at the Chief Justice’s residence on September 25 under the chairmanship of the Supreme Court administration and the officials of the Directorate of Archeology. According to the decision of the meeting, the Deputy Director (Archaeology) of the Directorate of Archeology sent a letter to the regional director of the Dhaka and Mymensingh Division of the Directorate of Archeology yesterday as part of the process of declaring the residence of the Chief Justice as a protected antiquities. Amiruzzaman.

According to the notification, after the announcement of the partition of Bengal in 1905, when the capital of the newly formed East Bengal and Assam province was moved to Dhaka, the residence of the Chief Justice is one of the residential buildings built for high-ranking government officials. Built in 1908, this unique structure exhibits a blend of Mughal and European classical architecture. After the partition of Bengal was annulled in 1911, the building was used for various purposes at various times, but since the early 1950s, the building has been used as the residence of the Chief Justice. If this centenary structure is declared as a protected antiquities, it will play a helpful role in preserving its heritage considering the historical importance of the building and highlighting the importance and heritage of the structure from the future generations.