The High Court (HC) today questioned the legality of three recommendations made by the cabinet committee in the 9th wage regarding the income tax and gratuity of journalists and employees of newspapers and news agencies.

In the 12 chapter of the 9th wage board, the cabinet committee has recommended that the journalists and employees of newspapers and news agencies themselves will pay their income taxes, they will get only one gratuity in a year and the decisions of the 9th wage board might be implemented in phases.

The HC today issued a rule asking the respondents to show-cause in four weeks why three recommendations of the cabinet committee in the 9th wage board should not be declared illegal.

In the rule, the court also asked them to explain why they should not be directed to bring journalists and employees of the electronic media under the wage board.

Secretaries to the ministries of information and labour have been made respondents to the rule, Deputy Attorney General Saifuddin Khaled told The Daily Star.

The HC bench of Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Khandaker Diliruzzaman came up with the rule following a writ petition filed by Hasan Ferdaus, general secretary of Chattogram Union of Journalist (CUJ), on November 7 seeking necessary order.

Citing the writ petition, DAG Saifuddin said according to the previous wage boards the owners of the newspapers and news agencies will pay the income tax of the journalists and employees, they will be given be two gratuities in a year and the wage board’s recommendations will be implemented immediately.

The three recommendations of the cabinet committee in 9th wage board is illogical and contradictory to the recommendations of the wage board, he said.

In the petition, the petitioner prayed to the HC to pass an order on the respondents to bring the journalists and employees of the electronic media under the wage board.

Advocate Teertha Salil Paul and Advocate Nurul Karim appeared for the writ petitioner.