Dhaka: The High Court on Sunday issued a rule on Sunday asking the authorities concerned to stop within seven days the spread of pornographic videos and images in mobile phones and Facebook.

An HC bench comprising judges Mainul Islam Chowdhury and M Ashraful Kamal passed the order in response to a writ petition.

The post and telecommunication secretary and Bangladesh Telecommunication Regularity Commission (BTRC) chairman were made respondents to the rule.

The court also asked them to submit within three days a report about the progress of their steps in connection with the order.

The court also issued a rule to explain why the apathy of the defendants for implementing the Pornography Act 2012 and the Information and Communication Technology Act 2013 should not be declared illegal, and why a directive should not be issued to take legal action against the internet service providers under the concerned acts.

The court asked telecommunication secretary, BTRC chairman, information secretary to submit their explanations within four weeks.

On 21 April this year, Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) filed the public interest writ petition with the HC as teenage students have been exposed to moral debasement by the spread of pornographic videos and images in cell phones and Facebook.