22 April 2026
Press Release
24 April 2026 marks 13 years since the Rana Plaza building collapse. The Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST) calls on the Government to take immediate and effective steps to ensure the speedy disposal of all pending cases, ensure reparation and rehabilitation for victims and their families, and establish a permanent memorial in honour of those killed in the disaster.
On 24 April 2013, the Rana Plaza collapse in Savar killed 1,136 workers and injured 2,438 others, many of whom were left permanently disabled. Justice remains elusive, as 14 cases remain pending in various Trial Courts, with five writ petitions petitions awaiting hearing before the High Court Division of the Supreme Court. Injured workers and affected families have yet to secure accountability or adequate compensation.Despite significant legal and institutional changes having been triggered in the aftermath of the disaster, compensation provisions under the Bangladesh Labour Act remain grossly inadequate, ranging from BDT 200,000 in cases of death to BDT 250,000 for permanent total disability.
Md. Borkot Ali, Director (Legal) of BLAST, called for urgent action: “Even after 13 long years, affected families are awaiting payment of compensation. All Rana Plaza-related cases must be fast tracked to ensure justice for victims and accountability of those responsible.”
BLAST urges the Government to immediately take the following steps:
1. Ensure the speedy disposal of all 14 cases, including by scheduling consecutive hearing dates, coordinating the presence of witnesses, ensuring victim participation.
2. Provide long-term specialized medical care, psychological support, and rehabilitation for injured workers and affected families, and establish an independent monitoring mechanism.
3. Construct a permanent memorial bearing the names of the deceased workers at the Rana Plaza site in Savar and at the Jurain graveyard, including for those buried in unmarked graves.
4. Review and amend the Bangladesh Labour Act to establish adequate compensation standards for workplace deaths and injuries, in line with ILO Convention 121, tort principles, and relevant jurisprudence.
5. Ensure the presence of relevant officials from the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments in labour courts and take special measures to execute arrest warrants.
6. Strengthen DIFE’s oversight to ensure regular safety inspections and compliance reporting, and ensure it takes prompt legal action against those responsible based on such reports.
For further information, please contact:
1) Musfiqur Rahman Maruf, Coordinator, Communications, BLAST
M: 01552-324376; E: maruf@blast.org.bd
2) Sifat-E-Nur Khanam, Advocate, Supreme Court/ Legal Specialist, BLAST
M: 01749-280078; E: sifat@blast.org.bd
________________________________________
Background
Pending cases relating to workplace deaths and injuries at Rana Plaza:
11 Cases in Labour Courts:
• The Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments has filed 11 cases under the Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006. All are currently pending before the Second Labour Court in Dhaka.
o Reports on execution of arrest warrants in seven cases are scheduled for submission on 24 August 2026.
o The same date is fixed for charge hearing in one case.
o No information is available in the court registry regarding the remaining three cases.
3 Cases in Criminal Courts:
• Two cases have been filed under the Penal Code, 1860—one by Sub-Inspector Wali Ashraf of Savar Police Station and another by Shiuli Akter, wife of deceased worker Jahangir Alam.
• Both cases are being tried jointly in the 8th Additional District and Sessions Court in Dhaka. Although the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court directed on 15 January 2024 that the trial be completed within six months, 26 months have passed. During this period, 30 hearing dates have elapsed, and 145 out of 594 listed witnesses have testified. The next hearing is scheduled for 30 April 2026.
• A third case, filed under the Building Construction Act, 1952 by an authorized officer of RAJUK, was transferred on 14 June 2016 to the Court of the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate, Dhaka. Charges have been framed against 16 accused, but no witnesses have yet testified. The next date for evidence is set for 30 April 2026.
5 Writ Petitions in the High Court:
• Five writ petitions are pending hearing.