The HC also issued a rule asking the authorities concerned to explain why order should not be given to form a powerful commission to identify irregularities and corruption in the banking sector in the previous years.

The HC-bench of Justice F R M Nazmul Ahsan and Justice K M Kamrul Kader came up with the order and rule after primary hearing on a writ petition filed by lawyer Manzill Morshed on behalf of Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) to stop irregularities and corruption in the banking sector.

Secretaries to Prime Minister’s Office, Cabinet, Ministry of Finance, Bangladesh Bank Governor and chairmen and Managing Directors of all government and private banks have been made respondents to the rule.

Lawyer Manzill Morshed stood for the writ petitioner and deputy attorney general barrister A B M Abdullah Al Mahmud Bashar for the state.

During the hearing, the court said a vulnerable situation has already been created in the government and private banking sector in Bangladesh. Necessary steps should be taken to stop all irregularities for reviving the economy and taking it to a strong position. 

Earlier, on January 23, a legal notice was served asking the authorities concerned to conduct an inquiry into irregularities in the banking sector of Bangladesh during the last 20 years.

Human rights body HRPB sent the notice asking the government to form a commission under section 3 of the Commission Inquiry Act 1956 for the purpose of making inquiry into the various misappropriation s of banking money and irregularities in case of loan sanctioning occurred during the last 20 years in different private and public banks.

The notice was sent to Bangladesh Bank governor, secretaries to the cabinet, Prime Minister’s Office, Finance Division, Financial Institutions Division of Ministry of Finance, and the Law Ministry asking them to form the commission within a week.

As, there was no reply of the notice, the writ was filed with the court.