SC judge feels embarrassed to hear plea of regulator

A Supreme Court judge yesterday felt embarrassed to hear a petition filed by Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission against a High Court order that stayed its notice upon Grameenphone.
Justice M Imman Ali, chamber judge of the Appellate Division, did not mention the cause of his embarrassment, Khandaker Reza-e Raquib, a lawyer for BTRC, told The Daily Star. The petition will now be sent to the chief justice for his decision.
The BTRC on October 17 issued the notice asking Grameenphone to pay additional Tk 236.8 crore for 1800MHz band radio frequency, which the operator purchased for 18 years in 2008.
Following a writ petition filed by Grameenphone, the High Court on October 26 stayed the notice for four months and also issued a rule upon the BTRC to explain within four weeks as to why the notice should not be declared illegal.
The BTRC on October 31 filed a petition with the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the High Court order.
Justice Imman Ali yesterday felt embarrassed after the petition was placed before him for hearing.
Attorney General Mahbubey Alam appeared for BTRC while Anisul Huq and Sheikh Fazle Noor Tapash stood for Grameenphone.