HC issues 9-pt guideline for online business

The High Court has issued a nine-point guideline for starting and running business on online platforms.

It must be ascertained that no one can run, even start, any of their unauthorised online businesses on any online platforms, reads the guideline issued by the High Court bench of Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam and Justice S M Masud Hossain Dolon.

The bench issued the guideline after disposing of a writ petition filed by an online merchant.

The full text was published on Monday while the HC bench delivered its short order on August 29 last year.

In the guideline, the High Court said the Consumers' Right Protection Department should take necessary measures to register all the online merchants or owners or members and give them authorisation for running online business.

The regulatory authorities concerned of the government such as the BTRC should collaborate with online e-commerce platforms to preserve the information of online business entities.

Everyone must follow the prevailing laws of Bangladesh. They have to maintain the relationship between online owner and the consumers.

In the event of any violation of the law in operation of online business, the aggrieved party will be entitled to equal protection of law. Every citizen shall have the right to run any lawful business and his business cannot be closed without due process of law.

It is essential to ensure that no clothing retailer uses online platforms to replicate foreign original products and sell counterfeit goods as original.

The legal scheme must ensure all sorts of online business enterprises be verified with personal national IDs of their admins and owners as well as consumers.

The authorities concerned are directed to widely circulate to the online customers to make aware that purchase from untrustworthy online merchants for deception and misrepresentation of goods and they should not purchase any product from the online shops or online enterprises or online suppliers without authorisation or registration.

The Consumers' Right Protection Department should insert the necessary provisions of law in the Consumers' Right Protection Act, 2009 to prosecute the untrustworthy online merchants for their offence.

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