HC refuses plea against hoisting foreign flags

A High Court bench today refused to hold hearing on a writ petition that challenged the legality of hoisting national flags of foreign countries at different places across the country at different times particularly during the FIFA World Cup tournament.

The bench of Justice Naima Haider and Justice Zafar Ahmed also dropped the petition from its hearing list.

The HC judges did not disclose any reason behind refusing to hear the petition, Advocate Dewan Abdun Naser, the lawyer for the writ petitioner, told The Daily Star.

The lawyer also said he will move the same writ petition before another HC bench after receiving the copy of the order from the bench led by Justice Naima Haider.

Mohammad Nurul Amin, a freedom fighter from Gaibandha, submitted the writ petition to the HC on May 27 seeking its directive on the government to stop people from hoisting national flags of foreign countries at different places of Bangladesh.

Advocate Naser said supporters of the countries participating the FIFA World Cup tournament are seen hoisting the national flags of the countries at different places during the tournaments in violation of the law.

No foreign flags can be flown without specific permission from the government except in foreign diplomatic offices as per Bangladesh Flag Rules, 1972, he said citing from the writ petition.

It was said in the petition that foreign nationality flags can be hoisted at the foreign diplomatic offices of Bangladesh according to the national flag rules.

The petitioner further said tin the petition that as a freedom fighter, he (Nurul) was shocked to see foreign flags being hoisted at different places in the country during the World Cup in violation of the national flag rules.

With less than a month remaining for the start of FIFA World Cup, supporters have already started hoisting their colours on rooftops. As Brazil and Argentinian fans rule the football supporting community in Bangladesh, flags of these two countries mostly dominate the skyline in Dhaka city and elsewhere.