SC wants decision on legality by May 31

The Supreme Court yesterday asked the High Court to deliver its decision by May 31 on a rule over the legality of collecting information from the tenants by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).

The HC bench of Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Md Iqbal Kabir has been asked to dispose of the rule by the time.

A four-member bench of Appellate Division of the SC headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha passed the order after hearing an appeal filed by the government challenging the HC rule in this regard.

On March 27, following a writ petition filed by three lawyers including Aynunnahar Siddiqua, the HC bench of Justice Syed Muhammad Dastagir Husain and Justice AKM Shahidul Huq issued the rule, asking the government to explain within a week as to why the provision of the DMP Rules and Regulations-2006 under which the DMP has been collecting information about the residents should not be declared unconstitutional and illegal.

Earlier on March 13, the HC bench led by Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury rejected another petition seeking a halt to the collection of tenants' information, saying that the DMP was allowed to take any step under the DMP rules and regulations-2006 to prevent terrorism and militant activities.