The High Court has suspended a 25 per cent hike in water prices in response to a writ petition, and ruled that the injunction will remain in force until Aug 10.
Justice M Enayetur Rahim passed the order in virtual court proceedings on Monday, taking into account the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on human lives.
The petitioners were represented by lawyers Anik R Haque and Md Tanvir Ahmed, bdnews24.com reported.
Attorney General Mahbubey Alam, a lawyer for the Water Supply and Sewerage Authority, appeared for the state-run agency that raised the prices, while Deputy Attorney General Amit Talukder represented the state.
In a decision in February, WASA raised water prices for residential and commercial users in Dhaka and Chattogram, making the new rates effective from March.
The price of each unit (1,000 litres) of water supplied to households rose by 24.97 per cent to Tk 14.46 in Dhaka. The tariff on water supply for commercial users has been set at Tk 40 in the capital, marking a 7.99 per cent jump.