The government has handed over a cheque of Tk 1 billion to Maksudur Alam, the owner of Moon Cinema Hall through the Appellate Division.
A four-member bench of the Appellate Division, headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, on Tuesday also directed Maksudur to register the land in the name of Bangladesh Muktijoddha Kalyan Trust by Wednesday.
Barrister Azmalul Hossain QC stood for Maksudur Alam while Attorney General Mahbubey Alam represented the state, reports UNB.
Maksudur, also the executive director of Bangladesh Italian Marble Works Ltd, said he received an account payee cheque of Tk 992,173,074 of Al-Arafah Islami Bank.
In May 2011, the court declared the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution unlawful and asked Muktijoddha Kalyan Trust to return the property of Moon Cinema Hall within three months.
The Supreme Court also directed the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs several times to pay Tk 1 billion to the owner of the hall.
Earlier in 2000, Italian Marble Works filed a writ petition with the High Court challenging the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution.
On Aug 29, 2005, the High Court declared illegal the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution -- which legitimized the governments that were in power from Aug 15, 1975's coup to Apr 9, 1979.
The then government announced a decree in 1977 that blocked challenges against the government's decisions to declare the property abandoned.
Moon Cinema Hall owner filed a contempt of court petition with the apex court on Jan 10, 2012, against the authorities concerned of the government and Muktijoddha Kalyan Trust for not executing its order.
On Jan 15, 2017, the Supreme Court ordered the authorities concerned to assess the value of the land of the cinema hall and other establishments with the help of a skilled and neutral engineer.