HC verdict on DMP provision for tenants’ info Aug 17

The High Court today fixed August 17 for delivering a verdict on a writ petition that challenged the legality of a provision under which Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has been collecting information about residents of the metropolitan area.

The bench of Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Ashish Ranjan Das set the date after concluding hearing on the petition.

Three Supreme Court lawyers, including Aynunnahar Siddiqua, filed the petition as public interest litigation on March 20 this year challenging the legality of the provision of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Rules and Regulations 2006 under which the information of the tenants are being collected.

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Barrister Aneek R Haque appeared for the petitioners while Deputy Attorney General Motaher Hossain Sazu opposed the petition.

Petitioners said in the petition that police did not have the authority to collect information about tenants and could only take a specific step under the rules.

On March 27, the HC issued a rule upon the government to explain as to why the provision of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Rules and Regulations 2006 should not be declared unconstitutional and illegal.

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The DMP on February 29 announced that it had been collecting "identification information" about landlords and tenants since November last year and asked all to provide such information by March 15.

On March 13, the HC bench of Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Md Iqbal Kabir rejected another petition that sought an order to stop the collection of tenants' information, saying that DMP was allowed to take any step under DMP Rules and Regulations 2006 to prevent terrorism and militant activities in the city.