Although many directives have been issued to clear the back pay of Khandaker Abdul Wahed, a retired proof-reader of the Settlement Press, DLRS has yet to pay him about Tk 5 lakh that it owes him.

"Since 1977, I have been facing false cases which destroyed the financial standing of my family. I lost almost everything bearing the expenses of the cases and simultaneously providing for my family of 10," Wahed said.

DLRS suspended Abdul Wahed following a criminal case filed with Tejgaon police station in 1977 against him and eight other employees of the same office. Wahed was eventually acquitted by the High Court (HC) in 1984.

He then officially asked DLRS to reinstate him in his job.

In 1985, his office again filed a departmental case against him with the Second Munsef Court of Dhaka. The court in its verdict termed the case illegal saying that the HC had already acquitted Wahed.

DLRS then challenged the verdict, which also ended up in the HC. In 1991, the HC upheld the lower court's verdict.

In the meantime, while Wahed was busy pursuing these legal tangles in courts, he had passed his retirement age in 1988.

Finally on February 25, 1995, DLRS accepted Wahed's request for reinstatement and withdrew his suspension, Wahed told The Daily Star.

The same year, his office paid him his back pay for the period from the time of his suspension in 1977 to November 16, 1985, Wahed added.

DLRS however did not pay him his salaries and other benefits for the period between November 17, 1985 and January 19, 1988 (two years, two months and four days), prompting him to file a petition with the Ministry of Land.

The Ministry of Land sought opinion on the matter from the Ministry of Law. Following positive response from the law ministry, the land ministry in a letter on August 14, 2005 asked the director general (DG) of DLRS to take necessary measures for paying Wahed his overdue salaries and benefits for the period.

The land ministry also issued three letters to DLRS asking its DG to take necessary actions and pay Wahed's salaries and pension.

"It has been almost two years since the land ministry directed the DLRS office to pay me my back pay, but nothing happened yet," said Wahed, now a senior citizen.

Monindranath Roy, deputy director (admin) of DLRS, told The Daily Star on April 18 that he had joined the office on deputation only three months ago and he needed to be acquainted with the case.

"We need the file where the documents of the departmental case are preserved for settling the issue. However the section concerned, in response to a show-cause notice served earlier, said they had not received such a file," he said.

"I asked Abdul Wahed's son to provide us with references regarding the departmental case."

Wahed however said he does not have any reference of the departmental case. He only has the High Court verdict on the case and copies of the land ministry orders asking DLRS to pay him his salaries and pension.