Chief justice assigns third HC bench after split verdict on foreign operator for container terminal
On 4 December, the High Court delivered a split verdict in the writ petition challenging the legality of the ongoing process to award the NCT operation contract to a foreign company
Following a split verdict by a High Court division bench on a rule questioning the legality of the ongoing contract process with a foreign company for operating Chattogram Port's New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT), the Chief Justice has assigned a third High Court bench to rehear the matter.
The case was listed for hearing today (18 December) before a single bench of Justice Zafar Ahmed. It has been scheduled for hearing after the court vacation.
Barrister Anwar Hossain, counsel for the writ petitioner, told The Business Standard that after a division bench delivered a split verdict on the rule challenging the legality of the ongoing contract process with a foreign company for NCT operations, the Chief Justice assigned another bench to rehear the rule.
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"The matter was listed in today's (18 December) cause list. The court said the rule will be taken up for hearing after the Supreme Court vacation ends on 31 December," he said.
He added that there will be no fresh hearing on the writ petition. "The hearing will be conducted on the same rule that was issued earlier by the High Court. One judge of the previous division bench disposed of the rule by declaring the contract process illegal, while the other judge dismissed the rule. Now, the newly constituted bench will hear the rule issued by the earlier bench on the question of the contract's legality."
Helal Chowdhury represented Chattogram Port Authority in the case.
On 4 December, the High Court delivered a split verdict in the writ petition challenging the legality of the ongoing process to award the NCT operation contract to a foreign company. The senior judge of the bench, Justice Fatema Najib, declared the contract process illegal, while the other judge, Justice Fatema Anwar, ruled that the process was lawful on three specific questions.
The writ petition was filed on behalf of the Bangladesh Young Economists Forum by its president, Mirza Walid Hossain. The respondents include the shipping secretary, the chairman of the Chattogram Port Authority, and the chief executive officer of the PPP Authority.
