The High Court on Tuesday directed the Ministry of Home Affairs to take appropriate legal action against all kinds of hoarding of essential commodities.
The court also directed the authorities to submit a compliance report with it on April 26 in respect of their actions for preventing the illegal syndication business that contributes to making the market unstable by increasing the price of essential commodities more than the government fixed price.
The Ministry of Commerce, The Ministry of Home, and Bangladesh Competition Commission have been asked to comply with the direction.
The High Court bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice S M Maniruzzaman passed the order after hearing a writ petition filed in this regard.
The court also issued a rule upon the concerned bodies of the government to explain as to why the failure of the respondents to prevent illegal syndication business by increasing the price of essential commodities more than the government fixed rate shall not be declared illegal.
It also asked the government bodies to explain as to why the Bangladesh Competition Commission shall not be directed to find out and take appropriate legal action against the perpetrators who are responsible for illegal syndication business and making the market unstable by creating the price of essential commodities.
It also wanted to know in the rule as to why the respondents should not be directed to formulate necessary regulations in compliance with the proviso of section 21(1) of the Competition Act, 2012 in order to prevent illegal syndication business.
And as to why the respondents shall not be directed to include the provision for the Ration Card for selling out essential commodities like rice, wheat, sugar, lentils, onion and edible oil in the OMS (open market sale) policy, the court also asked.
It also wanted to know in the rule as to why the inaction and failure of the Directorate of the National Consumer Rights Protection in taking remedial measures for protecting the consumers’ rights shall not be declared illegal.
The Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Home, Ministry of Food, Bangladesh Competition Commission, Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection, Trading Corporation of Bangladesh and the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) have been asked to comply with the rule.
During the hearing, the court asked the state lawyer to bring the perpetrators to the perimeter of the law. When you will act strictly against them then they will not be courage, also observed the court.
The writ petition was filed seeking directive upon the concerned bodies of the government to form a monitoring cell and to formulate policies for controlling the price of Soybean oil in the market.
Three Supreme Court lawyers, Monir Hossain, Syed Mohidul Kabir and Mohammad Ullah, filed the writ petition on March 6 seeking HC directives to form a monitoring cell and to formulate policies for controlling the price of Soybean oil and other essential commodities in the market.
They submitted the petition as a public interest litigation based on a published report over the recent price hike of Soybean oil.
The three lawyers on March 3 brought the report to the attention of the High Court bench for its direction over the issue. Then the court asked them to file a writ petition with it and accordingly, the lawyers filed the writ petition.
