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The Supreme Court has imposed a status quo on all construction activities at the historic Mahasthangarh archaeological site in Bogura. This order halts any ongoing or planned development work at the significant ancient site.

However, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court also granted the government permission to appeal a High Court verdict that has been in place since 2012. This verdict has effectively barred any development activities at Mahasthangarh for over a decade. The current order allows the government to present its case against the High Court's long-standing directive.

The Appellate Division bench, comprising Chief Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury and Justices Md Rezaul Haque, SM Emdadul Hoque, and Farah Mahbub, issued the order after a hearing. Senior Advocate Manzill Murshid, representing the writ petitioner Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB), confirmed the development. The High Court's original verdict on January 19, 2012, mandated the preservation of the archaeological site following a public interest litigation filed by HRPB. The government submitted its petition seeking leave to appeal against these directives on July 7 this year, naming several officials, including the home secretary and the deputy commissioner of Bogura, as appellants.