Dhaka: The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the High Court to dispose of a rule by May 31 on section 4(B) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Rules under which tenants’ information is being collected through the house owners.

A four-member bench of the Appellate Division, headed by Chief Justice SK Sinha, passed the order and assigned the HC bench, led by Justice Mainul Hossain Chowdhury, for the rule disposal.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam and Deputy Attorney General Ikramul Haque Tutul represented the state while Advocate Rafiqur Rahman and Barrister Anik R Haque stood for the petitioner.

On March 7, Supreme Court lawyer Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua filed a petition with the High Court seeking its order to stop the collection of tenants’ information through the owners of rented out apartments.

On March 13, an HC bench comprising Justice Mainul Islam Chowdhury and Justice M Iqbal Kabir rejected the writ showing logic that the DMP can take ‘any step’ in order to maintain the law and order situation in Dhaka city area according to its the section 4(B) of the DMP Rules, 2006.

On March 20, three lawyers of the Supreme Court—Nahar Siddiqa, SM Enamul Haque and Suprokash Datta—filed another writ challenging the legality of the section 4(B) of the DMP Rules, 2006.

On March 27, an HC bench comprising Justice Syed Muhammad Dastagir Husain and Justice AKM Shahidul Huq issued a rule asking the authorities concerned to explain why the section 4(B) of the DMP Rules, 2006 would not be declared contradictory to the Constitution.

The Home Secretary, Law secretary, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the DMP Commissioner were asked to reply to the rule within a week.

On February 29, the DMP had asked the dwellers in the capital city to provide their personal information in a prescribed form by 15 March.