A Sylhet court on Wednesday fixed Thursday for delivering its verdict against industrialist Ragib Ali and his son Abdul Hye in a case filed over grabbing the endowment property of Tarapur Tea Estate.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Saifuzzaman Hero set the date after concluding the hearing on the law-point arguments in the case, said additional public prosecutor (APP) of the court Mahfuzur Rahman.

The court recorded the testimony of 11 witnesses out of 14 in the case, reports UNB.

On August 25, 1999, the then parliamentary watchdog on land affairs found that the Tarapur Tea Estate authorities captured a vast area of an endowment property and set up several establishments on the land illegally.

Later, the subcommittee of the parliamentary watchdog recommended taking legal action against the illegal occupants.

SM Abdul Hye, land commissioner of Sylhet Sadar, filed two cases against six people, including Ragib Ali, with Sylhet Kotwali Police Station on September 27, 2005.

The cases were filed one for grabbing endowment property of Tarapur Tea Estate after fabricating document of the Ministry of Land against Ragib and his Hye and another for misappropriating Tk 1,000 crore of the government.

The other accused are Pankaj Kumar Gupta, current caretaker of Tarapur Tea Estate, Ragib's son Abdul Hye, his son-in-law Abdul Quadir and daughter Rozina Qaudir and Dewan Moshtaque Majid.

On January 19 last, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court asked the authorities concerned to reclaim Tarapur Tea Estate. The SC also ordered reinvestigation into the cases although police submitted a final report disposing the case.

Following the SC order, Sylhet Metropolitan Magistrate court ordered the Police to Bureau of Investigation (PBI) to investigate the cases again. On July 10, the PBI submitted a report accusing Ragib Ali and his son Hye.

Ragib Ali and his family members fled to India hours after the arrest warrants were issued against them after police submitted the chargesheets in the two cases to Sylhet Metropolitan Magistrate Court on July 10 last.

On August 10 last, a court here issued warrants for the arrest of six people in the two cases.

Indian immigration police arrested him from Karimganj district of Assam for illegal stay on November 24 last and a court sent him to jail while Abdu Hye was arrested from Jakiganj on November 12.