HC verdict on DMP's authority to collect city residents' info Aug 17

The High Court fixed August 17 for delivering verdict on completing hearing yesterday a writ petition challenging the legality of a provision Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has been using to collect information about the city's residents.

Three Supreme Court lawyers, including Aynunnahar Siddiqua, filed the petition as public interest litigation on March 20.

The petition said police did not have authority under the provision of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Rules and Regulations 2006 to collect information about tenants.

Under the provision, information could be collected on individual cases, not on a mass scale, it said.

DMP on February 29 announced that it had been collecting “identification information” about landlords and tenants since November 2015 and asked all to provide it by March 15.

Barrister Aneek R Haque appeared for the petitioners while Deputy Attorney General Motaher Hossain Sazu opposed the petition before the bench of Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Ashish Ranjan Das.

On March 27, the HC issued a rule upon the government to explain why the provision should not be declared unconstitutional and illegal.

On March 13, the HC bench of Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Md Iqbal Kabir rejected another petition seeking an order to stop the collection of tenants' information.

The HC bench said DMP was allowed to take any step under the rules and regulations to prevent terrorism and militant activities in the city.