The High Court today issued a rule asking the government to explain why it should not be directed to form a commission in order to make necessary recommendations for setting a standard of the house rent and to appoint a rent controller at ward level.

In the rule, the court also asked the respondents to show cause why Section 15 of the House Rent Control Act, 1991 that describes the method of fixing house rent should not be declared illegal and unconstitutional.

Cabinet secretary, prime minister’s office secretary, parliament secretariat secretary, law secretary and mayors of two city corporations of Dhaka have been made respondents to the rule returnable in four weeks.

The HC bench of Justice Refaat Ahmed and Justice Md Shohrowardi came up with the rule following a writ petition filed by rights organisation Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) seeking necessary order in this regard.

During hearing of petitioner’s lawyer Advocate Manzill Murshid told the HC that if the house rent is fixed according to the Section 15 of the House Rent Control Act, 1991, the rent would be three or four times higher than the existing house and the tenants will have to give most of their incomes for the house rents and they will suffer.  

Therefore, the Section 15 of the House Rent Control Act, 1991 is contradictory to the fundamental rights guaranteed by Article 32 of the Constitution, he argued, saying that the Section 15 of the House Rent Control Act, 1991 ineffective and it needs to be scrapped.