The High Court yesterday questioned the legality of the minimum age of freedom fighters to 12 years and six months, set by the government in January this year.

The HC bench of Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Md Ashraful Kamal in a rule also asked the government authorities concerned to explain in four weeks why the circular issued to this effect should not be declared illegal.

On January 17 this year, the liberation war affairs ministry in an amended gazette notification circular set the minimum age of a freedom fighter to 12 years and six months as of November 30, 1971.

Earlier on November 10, 2016, the ministry had fixed the minimum age of freedom fighters at 13 years as of March 26, 1971.

The HC bench issued the rule yesterday following a writ petition filed by Mahmud Hasan, director of department of geological survey, challenging the legality of the gazette notifications.

Mahmud Hasan recently submitted the petition, saying he is a freedom fighter and that he had joined the geological survey as a freedom fighter on June 26 of 1988.

He said the gazette notifications have affected him as he was 12 years, four months and 12 days of age on November 30, 1971 and that those gazette notifications contradict the spirit of the Liberation War.

Barrister ABM Altaf Hossain, Advocate ARM Kamruzzaman Kakan and Advocate Shuvrajit Banerjee represented the petitioner while Deputy Attorney General Ekramul Haque Tutul represented the government.