C T Online Desk: The SC judge asks the HC to dispose of the rule over the issue by the next month.
The Supreme Court (SC) chamber judge has issued a status quo for a month on the High Court (HC) order that asked the government to stop the plying of battery-run auto-rickshaws on the Dhaka streets.
Justice Md Rezaul Haque, chamber judge of the Appellate Division of the SC, said the battery-run rickshaws and auto-rickshaws can run on the city streets during this period for the sake of the livelihoods of owners and drivers of the vehicles.
The SC judge also asked the HC to dispose of the rule over the issue by the next month.
The chamber judge passed the order following a petition filed by the government seeking a stay on the HC order.
Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman represented the government before the court while Barrister Shanjid Siddique argued on behalf of the petitioner during the hearing.
Earlier in the day, a team of 15-20 rickshaw and easy-van drivers held a discussion with Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Sheikh Md Sazzad to resolve the chaos centring the ban on battery-run rickshaw and auto-rickshaw.
Meanwhile, the drivers of battery-run rickshaws, vans and easy bikes blocked Dhaka’s Agargaon intersection demanding cancellation of the HC order.
The protest slowed down traffic on both sides of Rokeya Sharani, leading to public suffering.