The High Court will give its verdict on February 7 on the writ petition challenging the mass eviction of sex workers, reports UNB.

Hearing in the case filed by different human rights organisations concluded yesterday.

A division bench of the High Court, comprising Justice M Fazlul Karim and Justice M Abdul Wahab Mia, heard the writ petition.

Barrister Nazmul Huda and Sigma Huda made submissions for the petitioners while Deputy Attorney General Obaidur Rahman Mustafa for the government.

The lawyer couple - Nazmul Huda and Sigma Huda - in their submissions said that forceful eviction of the sex workers was done in an inhuman way infringing upon their fundamental rights.

"Sex workers are guaranteed by the Constitution to lead their profession independently and maintain their life as provided in the Constitution as a citizen of the country," said the counsels.

The eviction of sex workers of Tanbazar and Nimtoli in Narayanganj town was done with the help of police and local miscreants at the instance of the government, violating the provision of the Constitution, the lawyers pleaded. The government also failed to protect life and liberty of the sex workers.

"The local administration with the help of police brutally evicted the sex workers at dead of night, assaulting them physically," the duo told the court.

They were then forcibly shifted to vagrant homes in Gazipur. "They are inhumanly being detained in the vagrant homes."

DAG Obaidur Rahman Mustafa defended the government and refuted the allegations made before the High Court.

He cited Article 28(2) of the Constitution and said since its provision prohibits prostitution, sex workers cannot claim protection of their occupation.

"The government had no knowledge and connivance regarding the eviction of sex workers from their houses," he submitted.

To substantiate his contention, he argued that no owner of the prostitutes' houses from where they were evicted made any complain 'regarding their tenants' eviction.

He submitted that the local administration, along with police, went to Tanbazar and Nimtoli while they heard that the sex workers were forcibly evicted.

Police, after going there to maintain law and order, guarded Tanbazar and Nimtoli brothel areas and picked up a good number of sex workers roaming around and produced them before the magistrate concerned.

Finding them vagrants, the magistrate sent them to the vagrant homes, the DAG said.

"The government did not act illegally in sending the sex workers, found roaming around, to the vagrant homes," he concluded.