HC scraps BTRC order asking GP to pay Tk 30cr fine

The High Court (HC) today scrapped orders of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) asking Grameenphone to pay Tk 30 crore of fine for providing broadband internet services under Go Broadband.

The court, however, ordered the BTRC to issue a fresh letter to Grameenphone in four months.

The HC also asked the telecom regulator to assess through the auditor general how much damage of the state has been caused due to Grameenphone's continuation of providing NTTN internet service till 2016 even after its tenure expired.        

The HC bench of Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed and Justice Md Iqbal Kabir Lytton came up with the verdict following a writ petition filed by Grameenphone challenging legality of three letters of the BTRC imposing the fine of Tk 30 crore.

Barrister Khandaker Reza-E-Raquib, the lawyer for BTRC, told reporters that the HC has declared illegal Grameenphone's continuation of providing NTTN internet service till 2016 without permission from BTRC even after expiry of its tenure.

BTRC issued three letters on November 6 and 29, 2016 and on January 1, 2017 asking Grameenphone to pay Tk 30 crore as fine for providing broadband internet services under Go Broadband illegally to Sonali Bank.

Grameenphone filed the writ petition with the HC in 2017.