High Court seeks explanation for strike against court verdict

The High Court (HC) yesterday issued a rule asking the authorities concerned to explain within three weeks why calling strike or hartal against a court verdict should not be declared illegal.
It also asked the government to explain why it should not be directed to take legal action against those responsible for obstructing transport services by calling a strike.
In response to a writ petition, an HC bench, comprising Justice Syed Muhammad Dastagir Husain and Justice Md Ataur Rahman Khan, also directed the authorities to take steps to ensure the smooth running of transport vehicles across the country within 24 hours.

Secretaries of Home and Road Transport and Bridges, chairman of the Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC), the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), inspector-general of police (IGP), director-general of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), president and secretary of Bangladesh Transport Workers Federation and Bangladesh Transport Owners’ Association have been made respondents to the rule.
Advocate Manzill Murshid, president of Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB), filed the writ petition with the HC, challenging legality of the transport strike and seeking necessary order to end the impasse within 24 hours.
Transport workers went on a wildcat strike in protest against the conviction of two fellow drivers, leaving commuters stranded in Dhaka and other parts of the country.
In Manikganj, on February 22, a court handed down the life sentence to a bus driver for a crash that killed five, including the eminent filmmaker, Tareque Masud, and the media personality, ATN News CEO Mishuk Munier, in 2011.
Workers in Chuadanga started the strike and were later joined by other workers in 10 Khulna Division districts on Sunday.  The authorities negotiated with the workers in Khulna on Sunday and announced that an agreement had been reached for the withdrawal of the strike.
Later, however, the transport workers, stung by another verdict sentencing a truck driver to death for running over and killing a woman in Savar, denied having reached any agreement on strike withdrawal.
A Dhaka court on Monday sentenced a trucker to death in a case filed over a road accident in Savar in 2003, after which the transport workers spread their protest countrywide.
Meanwhile, a Supreme Court lawyer urged the President and the Prime Minister to take steps to sack shipping minister Shajahan Khan for “supporting the strike” enforced by the transport workers protesting the two verdicts.
Eunus Ali Akond sent copies of a memorandum to President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Bangabhban and the Prime Minister’s Office in this regard yesterday.
In the memorandum, Akond claimed that the minister had provoked the transport workers to enforce the strike in protest against the two court judgments, an act, he felt, amounted to contempt of court and breach of a minister’s oath.
The action of the minister was also “unconstitutional” and “seditious” in the eyes of Article 7A of the Constitution, Akond said in the memorandum.
He further said the fact that Shajahan Khan held two posts—as a minister and executive president of the Bangladesh Road Transport Workers Association—was illegal.

High Court seeks explanation for strike against court verdict

The High Court (HC) yesterday issued a rule asking the authorities concerned to explain within three weeks why calling strike or hartal against a court verdict should not be declared illegal. It also asked the government to explain why it should not be directed to take legal action against those responsible for obstructing transport services by calling a strike. In response to a writpetition, an HC bench, comprising Justice Syed Muhammad Dastagir Husain and Justice Md Ataur Rahman Khan, also directed the authorities to take steps to ensure the smooth running of transport vehicles across the country within 24 hours. Secretaries of Home and Road Transport and Bridges, chairman of the Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC), the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), inspector-general of police (IGP), director-general of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), president and secretary of Bangladesh Transport Workers Federation and Bangladesh Transport Owners Association have been made respondents to the rule. Advocate Manzill Murshid, president of Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB), filed the writ petition with the HC, challenging legality of the transport strike and seeking necessary order to end the impasse within 24 hours. Transport workers went on a wildcat strike in protest against the conviction of two fellow drivers, leaving commuters stranded in Dhaka and other parts of the country. In Manikganj, on February 22, a court handed down the life sentence to a bus driver for a crash that killed five, including the eminent filmmaker, Tareque Masud, and the media personality, ATN News CEO Mishuk Munier, in 2011. Workers in Chuadanga started the strike and were later joined by other workers in 10 Khulna Division districts on Sunday. The authorities negotiated with the workers in Khulna on Sunday and announced that an agreement had been reached for the withdrawal of the strike. Later, however, the transport workers, stung by another verdict sentencing a truck driver to death for running over and killing a woman in Savar, denied having reached any agreement on strike withdrawal. A Dhaka court on Monday sentenced a trucker to death in a case filed over a road accident in Savar in 2003, after which the transport workers spread their protest countrywide. Meanwhile, a Supreme Court lawyer urged the President and the Prime Minister to take steps to sack shipping minister Shajahan Khan for supporting the strike enforced by the transport workers protesting the two verdicts. Eunus Ali Akond sent copies of a memorandum to President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Bangabhban and the Prime Ministers Office in this regard yesterday. In the memorandum, Akond claimed that the minister had provoked the transport workers to enforce the strike in protest against the two court judgments, an act, he felt, amounted to contempt of court and breach of a ministers oath. The action of the minister was also unconstitutional and seditious in the eyes of Article 7A of the Constitution, Akond said in the memorandum. He further said the fact that Shajahan Khan held two postsas a minister and executive president of the Bangladesh Road Transport Workers Associationwas illegal.