The High Court today questioned the legality of a provision under which the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has been collecting information about residents of the metropolitan area.

The court issued a rule upon the government to explain by a week why the rules of the DMP 2006, under which it is collecting the information, should not be declared unconstitutional and illegal.

The HC bench of Justice Syed Muhammad Dastagir Husain and Justice AKM Shohidul Huq came up with the rule following the petition filed by three Supreme Court lawyers.

Petitioner's lawyer Aneek R Haque told The Daily Star that the police cannot collect the information of the tenants under the rules. Police can take only a specific step under the rule, he added.

The DMP on February 29 announced that it had been collecting "identification information" about landlords and tenants since November last year and asked all to provide such information by March 15.

On March 14, the High Court cleared way for Dhaka to to collect the tenant information drive under its jurisdiction included in the DMP law of 2006. It said the DMP was allowed to take any step under DMP rules and regulations, 2006 to prevent terrorism and militant activities in the city.