Strikes against court verdicts unconstitutional: HC

The High Court (HC) has declared illegal any strike or hartal called in protest against a court judgment and directed the authorities to take action against bus owners’ associations or workers’ organisations if they announce such programmes.

A High Court division bench of Justice Sashanka Shekhar Sarkar and Justice Faysal Hasan Arif pronounced the judgment, making absolute a rule it had issued earlier.

“Court judgments are binding on all under Article 112 of the Constitution. Although there is a provision for appealing against a court judgment, calling a strike in protest against the judgment is illegal and unconstitutional,” the court said.

The ruling means that transport owners’ associations or workers’ organisations cannot resort to strikes or hartals to protest court judgments, and authorities have been directed to take action if such programmes are called.

Senior advocate Manjil Murshid moved the plea filed by rights body Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB), while Deputy Attorney General Mohammad Ahsan Habib represented the state.