HC clears way for DMP's tenant info collection
The High Court yesterday justified the provision of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Rules and Regulations, 2006 under which the city police has been collecting information about city residents.
Delivering the verdict on a writ petition, the court ruled that the DMP can take any step as per its rules and regulations for keeping law and order under control and ensuring public security.
The police will not harass anybody and ensure people's security during discharging their duties, said the court.
Citing the HC's observations, Deputy Attorney General Motaher Hossain Sazu said steps taken and instructions given by the DMP under the rules and regulations to prevent militancy and terrorism are logical and justified.
There is no bar on the city police continuing collection of information following the HC verdict, he said, adding that the police cannot threaten a person for collecting information which might hamper his personal security.
Any aggrieved person would have the right to take legal action against the police if they violate any provision of the DMP rules and regulations while collecting information, Motaher told The Daily Star.
The HC bench of Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Ashish Ranjan Das came up with the judgment after disposing of the writ petition that challenged the legality of the provision.
Petitioners' lawyer barrister Aneek R Haque said they would decide on moving an appeal before the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court after receiving the full text of the HC judgment.
Three SC lawyers, including Aynunnahar Siddiqua, filed the petition as a public interest litigation on March 20.
According to the petition, the DMP rules and regulations of 2006 did not authorise the police to collect information about tenants.
Under the provision, information could be collected on individual cases, not on a mass scale, it said.
The DMP on February 29 announced that it had been collecting “identification information” from landlords and tenants since November last year and asked the city residents to provide information to it by March 15.
On March 27, the HC issued a rule upon the government to explain why the provision should not be declared unconstitutional and illegal.
Earlier 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 collection of tenants' information. The court said the city police was allowed to take any step under the DMP rules and regulations to prevent terrorism and militant activities.
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