Bangladeshi police on Monday charged 41 people, including the owner of the Rana Plaza factory complex with murder over the building’s collapse in 2013 that killed more than 1,100 people.
Sohel Rana, the owner, and the others are accused of ignoring warnings not to allow workers into the building the day before it collapsed.
It was the worst industrial disaster in the country’s history -- and prompted criticism of global retail practices.
The accused initially faced charges of culpable homicide. If convicted, defendants face the death penalty.
Rana became Bangladesh’s public enemy number one after survivors recounted how thousands of them were forced to enter the compound at the start of the working day despite complaints about cracks appearing in the walls.
It is claimed that the six-storey structure -- which was initially approved as a shopping centre -- was turned into the nine-story factory complex without permission.
Rana was arrested on the western border with India as he tried to flee the country, in the days after the April 24 disaster.
The disaster drew attention to the poor working conditions in Bangladesh's garment industry, one of the world's largest.
