Bureaucrats don't consider ordinary people as their friends: HC

The High Court today criticised bureaucrats, saying ordinary people are having to suffer due to negligence of government's high officials in discharging their duties.

"The ordinary people of the country would not have to suffer if bureaucrats had thought of them as friends. Most of the high officials don't think of ordinary people as their friends. They (officials) believe they are something bigger.

"The secretaries must bear in mind that people are the source of all power. If they forget their own duties...the people will suffer," the HC bench of Justice Abu Taher Md Saifur Rahman and Justice AKM Rabiul Hassan told Md Abdur Rahman, a deputy secretary at the ministry of local government, rural development (LGRD) and cooperatives, while hearing a contempt of court rule.

Deputy Secretary Abdur Rahman appeared as representative of the LGRD secretary before the HC bench today in compliance with a summons order, which was issued as his office has not complied with an order of this court in the last five years.

Following a writ petition filed by 14 municipality accountant officers, the HC on November 20, 2017 directed the LGRD ministry to dispose of two applications for creating "accounting and audit department" at the municipality offices in two months.

On March 23, 2020, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court also upheld the HC directive, but the LGRD ministry has not disposed of the applications.

This is why a contempt of court petition was filed, following which the HC issued the contempt of court rule against the LGRD secretary, writ petitioners' lawyer Mohammad Siddique Ullah Miah told The Daily Star.

Today, the HC bench said some secretaries don't abide by the court order, but they feel embarrassed if they are directed to appear before this court.

The bench fixed January 10 next year for further hearing in the contempt of court rule, and Abdur Rahman will have to appear before the HC bench on January 10, Deputy Attorney General Wayesh-Al-Haroni told The Daily Star.