<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;">The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court (SC) declared the construction of houses for speaker and deputy speaker in Jatiya Sangsad (JS) area legal.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The apex court came up with the judgment, allowing a state appeal against the 2004 High Court verdict that had declared the construction of the houses as illegal.</div><div><br></div><div>"Appeal is allowed," the three-member apex court bench headed by Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique said.</div><div><br></div><div>"Because of today's judgment, the houses built for speaker and deputy speaker are recognized as legal," Additional Attorney General Sheikh Mohammad Morshed told newsmen.</div><div><br></div><div>The construction of the houses started in 2002. Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon filed a writ petition against the construction for allegedly violating the main plan of architect Louis I Kahn. The High Court in 2004 declared the construction as illegal.</div><div><br></div><div>The state after that filed its appeal, challenging the High Court verdict. Source: BSS</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>