Writ Petition in HC to Stop Eavesdropping on Phone

A writ petition has been filed in the High Court (HC), requesting that the eavesdropping on the phone be stopped and that actions be taken to probe the so far leaked incidents.

The writ was filed in the High Court bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md. Mostafizur Rahman on Tuesday.

Advocate Mohammad Shishir Monir filed the writ petition on behalf of 10 lawyers of the Supreme Court. They are – Advocate Rezwana Ferdous, Uttam Kumar Banik, Shah Nabila Kashfi, Farhad Ahmed Siddiqui, Mohammad Nawab Ali, Mohammad Ibrahim Khalil, Mustafizur Rahman, GM Mujahidur Rahman (Munna), Imrul Kayes and Ekramul Kabir.

The Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, the Posts and Telecommunications Division, the Information and Communication Technology Division, and Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (BTRC) have been named as defendants in the writ petition.

It states that Article 43 of the Constitution of Bangladesh recognizes the “protection of the privacy of letters and other means of communication” as a fundamental right of citizens. But it is noticed that phone leaks are happening every day. As a result, it should stop, the writ mentioned.

Earlier on January 22, the 10 lawyers of the Supreme Court sent a legal notice to the concerned asking them to take steps within 7 days to stop eavesdropping. However, a writ petition has been filed in the High Court as no action has been taken in this regard even after receiving the notice.