The chamber judge of the Supreme Court (SC) stayed on Thursday the High Court (HC) ruling on the government for 'not distributing imported wheat forcibly' until July 26.
Following an appeal by the state, the chamber judge Hasan Foez Siddique gave a stay order after hearing the matter, sending the issue to the regular/full bench of the appellate division of the SC for resolving it.
"The chamber judge has directed the Attorney General to take the issue to a full bench of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court," Law Adviser (Joint Secretary) of the Directorate General of Food Shah Md Abduraihan Alberuni told the FE after the chamber judge's directive on the day.
He said the food secretary and the director general (DG) of the Directorate General of Food moved the chamber judge on Thursday to appeal against the HC verdict on Wednesday regarding the imported wheat.
"We still have 25,000 tonnes of wheat that need to be distributed. It would now be possible for us (the government) to distribute the remaining quantity of wheat," he said.
Attorney General Mahbubey Alam moved on behalf of the state while Mahbub Uddin Khokon stood for the petitioner.
Earlier, the High Court ruled Wednesday that the government should take back the wheat imported from Brazil if any department or organisation refuses to accept it as the quality of the food-grain came under question.
"No one can be forced to receive the wheat," the court said in its observation while disposing of a writ petition seeking investigation into the grain's quality on Wednesday.
An HC bench comprising Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque and Abu Taher Md Saifur Rahman disposed of the writ petition with the observation that though the food department's report terms it fit for human consumption, the government "cannot force anyone" to accept this wheat.
The imported wheat has already been supplied to police, BGB and Ansar units and to dealers and mills. It has also been provided for test relief and food-for-work programmes.
"Based on the food department's report, the court said that the wheat was perhaps okay and fit for human consumption," Deputy Attorney-General Tapash Kumar Biswas told reporters after the HC verdict on Wednesday.
The government imported 200,000 tonnes of wheat from Brazil and a recent report in a daily said it was rotten and unfit for human consumption.
On June 29, Pavel Mian, a lawyer of Dhaka Judge's Court, filed the petition using contents of the newspaper report on the wheat, seeking a probe into the matter.
He had sought an order from the HC to initiate inquiry into the import imbroglio.
He also requested the higher court to issue a rule upon the government to explain as to why the import and supply of such wheat should not be declared 'illegal'.
talhabinhabib@yahoo.com
