SC sets aside HC ruling on hartal

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The Supreme Court (SC) Sunday overruled a High Court judgment and set aside its order that violence and coercion in favour of or against hartal are tantamount to criminal activities, reports UNB.
A seven-member full court of the Appellate Division of the SC headed by Chief Justice M Ruhul Amin passed the order, following an appeal filed by the then BNP Secretary General Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan. A High Court bench, acting on its own initiative, on May 13 in 1999 affirmed that violence and coercion in favour of or against hartal (general strike) are criminal activities and the bench also directed the police and the court to take appropriate action.
In Bangladesh, hartal is recognised as a political weapon for pressing home political demands. During the Awami League rule, calling hartal by the opposition political parties was used as a key weapon to gain political advantage and it became a part of political culture in the country.
In evaluating the political scenario, the High Court had issued the ruling. Later the then BNP Secretary General moved the Supreme Court to overturn the High Court ruling. And the Supreme Court stayed the operation of the ruling until the appeal was resolved. After eight years, the Supreme Court took up the appeal for hearing on November 21 last and following a couple of days of hearing, it set aside Sunday the High Court ruling .