A petition was filed with the High Court on Sunday seeking its directives on the political parties not to enforce hartal and blockade during public examinations.
Supreme Court lawyer Advocate M Yunus Ali Akand filed the petition as a supplementary to a pending writ petition filed by him in this regard last year.
In the supplementary petition, the SC lawyer said the 60-hour non-stop hartal to be enforced by the BNP-led 18-party alliance on Monday will cause havoc for around 20 lakh students as JSC and JDC exams are scheduled for the time.
After enforcing a straight 60-hour shutdown last week, the opposition alliance on Saturday called another 60-hour hartal from 6am Monday to push for its demand for arranging the next election under a non-party administration.
On April 26 last year, the SC lawyer filed the writ petition as a public interest litigation petition challenging the legality of enforcing hartal during the public examinations in the country.
On May 2, the High Court issued a twin-rule upon the leaders of major political parties and government to explain in three weeks why enforcing shutdown during public examinations should not be declared illegal.
The HC had also asked the respondents to explain why they should not be directed to refrain from enforcing hartal during the public examinations.
The Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, the Awami League general secretary, the BNP secretary general, Education, Home and Parliament secretaries had been made respondents to the rule.
The HC division bench comprising Justice AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury and Justice Jahangir Hossain had also appointed some noted lawyers as amici curiae (friends of court) to assist the court during the hearing.
The writ petition still awaits disposal.
Source: UNBConnect
