HC: Enact safe food rules in two months

The court told the lawyer that it would allow time-extension, if needed, to implement the order, Al-Amin said

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The High Court yesterday asked the government to submit a report before it within two months after publishing a gazette notification on the safe food rules.

According to the Safe Food Act, 2013, the government can enact the rules to ensure health safety, which is the purpose of the statute. The bill was passed in parliament on October 7 last year.

Deputy Attorney General Al-Amin Sarker said as per an earlier order, he yesterday placed a report on behalf of the Food Ministry. The report said formulation of the rules was at the final stage. It was later sent to the Law Ministry for vetting.

The bench of Justice Mirza Hussain Haider and Justice Khurshid Alam Sarkar yesterday ordered the law secretary to submit a compliance report on publishing the gazette of the rules within two months.

However, the court told the lawyer that it would allow time-extension, if needed, to implement the order, Al-Amin said.

On May 26, the High Court bench of Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque and Justice ABM Altaf Hossain asked the food secretary to place a compliance report on what measures the government had taken to make the Safe Food Act 2013 effective.

The bench passed the order following a writ petition filed by Legal Action Bangladesh.

Source: Dhaka Tribune