The High Court (HC) directed to form a judiciary body to find out the accused involved with cutting off topsoil from croplands for selling it to brick kilns in Satkania upazila of Chattogram Tuesday.

The HC bench of Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam and Md Atabullah also ordered Chattogram Chief Judicial Magistrate to submit a report within one month in this regard.

The court passed the order on Tuesday when Chattogram Deputy Commissioner, Superintendent of Police, Satkania Upazila Nirbahi Officer and Satkania police station’s Officer-in-Charge virtually joined the HC to explain as to why the cutting off topsoil from croplands in the upazila was going on despite an HC restriction issued earlier.

The HC also ordered the authorities concerned to fill up the lands, whose topsoil was dug for brick kilns, with alluvial soil by collecting from outside and make those as cultivable.

Deputy Attorney General Tushar Kanti Roy, Assistant Attorney Generals Selim Azad and Anis Ul-Mawa represented the state during the court procedure.

Earlier on Monday, the HC summoned the four government officers including DC and SP virtually to explain on Tuesday why the restriction order over cutting off the topsoil from the croplands was ignored.

As per the order, the officers joined virtually to submit their statements in this regard.

On March 19 this year, the HC imposed a restriction on cutting off the topsoil after one local named Abdul Munaf submitted a petition following media outlets reporting on this point.

Despite the restriction, the topsoil cutting continues unabated in the upazila in collaboration with syndicates.

However, on Sunday (April 21) a mobile court sentenced two people to jail for cutting off the topsoil in Pathanipul area under Kaliyash union of the upazila.