Strikes, hartals against court verdicts illegal: HC

In an order, the High Court on Sunday declared any strike or hartal called in protest against a court verdict or order illegal and directed the authorities concerned to take legal action and criminal proceedings against organisations if they announce such programmes.

The HC bench comprising Justice Shashank Shekhar Sarkar and Justice Faysal Hasan Arif delivered the verdict after making absolute a rule issued by it in 2017.

In its order, the HC bench observed that court verdicts are binding on all under Article 112 of the Constitution. While parties have the right to appeal against a judgment, calling a strike or hartal in protest against it is illegal and contrary to the Constitution.

The HC also directed the home secretary, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) and Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) to take necessary steps to prevent such strikes and hartals.

The HC bench issued rule in this regard in 2017 following a writ petition filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) after transport owners announced a strike following the conviction of a bus driver over a road crash that killed filmmaker Tareque Masud, media personality Mishuk Munier and three others.

The crash took place in Ghior upazila of Manikganj in August 2011 when a bus of Delux Paribahan collided with a microbus.

On February 22, 2017, Manikganj's Additional District and Sessions Judge convicted and sentenced the bus driver in the case.