Staff Correspondent

Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed has taken an initiative to declare his official residence, located at 19 Hare Road in the capital, as a protected archaeological site.

The Department of Archeology has already started activities in this regard. The Supreme Court administration confirmed the matter issuing a circular on Thursday.

As part of the process of declaring protected archaeological site, the Department of Archeology ordered its regional director of the Dhaka and Mymensingh division to visit the residence of the Chief Justice and give a report on Wednesday.

The notification said, in view of the unexpected damage to the residence of the Chief Justice in the uprising of the students on 5 August, Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed has taken the initiative to permanently preserve this historically important structure.

It also mentioned that, according to the provisions of the Archeology Act, 1968, the ownership of the residence remains intact in favour of the Supreme Court and if it is preserved, it will be considered as a national treasure. Through this the future generations of the country will be aware of the rich history of this establishment.

On 25 September, a special meeting was held at the Chief Justice’s residence with the officers of the Supreme Court Administration and the Department of Archeology in this regard, the notification added.

After the partition of Bengal in 1905, when the capital of the newly formed East Bengal and Assam province was shifted to Dhaka, the Chief Justice’s residence was built as a residential building for high-ranking government officials.

Built in 1908, this unique structure exhibits a blend of Mughal and European classical architecture.

Since the partition of Bengal was annulled in 1911, the building was used for various purposes at different times. But in the early 1950s, it has been used as the residence of the Chief Justice.