The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has concluded the hearing on a leave-to-appeal petition challenging a High Court verdict that upheld the government's move to lease out the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) at the Chittagong Port to a foreign company.
Following the hearing, a four-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury set Thursday (today) to deliver its order on the petition.
Bangladesh Jubo Arthanitibid Forum, a philanthropic organisation, filed the petition on February 5 this year, seeking that the High Court verdict, which allowed the government's move by a majority view, was set aside.
The High Court on January 29 this year discharged a rule that questioned the legality of the government's action to award the container handling contract of the NCT to DP World, a UAE-based company.
The Awami League-led government signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with DP World on February 17, 2019, to operate the terminal under a PPP arrangement.
During the interim government headed by Professor Muhammad Yunus, the Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) moved to proceed with awarding the contract to DP World.
However, the legality of the initiative was subsequently challenged through a writ petition, filed on March 20 last year by the Bangladesh Jubo Arthanitibid Forum.
Later, on January 29, the writ petitioner moved the apex court against the High Court verdict.
Lawyers Ahsanul Karim, Syed Mamun Mahbub, and Md Anwar Hossen appeared in the hearing on behalf of the writ petitioner, while Additional Attorney General Aneeq R Haque represented the state.
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