The High Court yesterday asked the government to explain in two weeks why its inaction in taking effective measures to prevent the skyrocketing of soybean oil price should not be declared illegal.
An HC bench of Justice AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik and Justice Sheikh Md Zakir Hossain made the ruling.
The court has directed the chief controller of Export and Import and the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) chairman to submit a report within four weeks on how much soybean oil had been imported in the past six months and what its price was.
It also ordered the president and the secretary of Vegetable Oil Refiners and Vanaspati Manufacturers' Association to submit a report before it within the time on how much soybean oil was sold across the country in the past six months.
The court came up with the directives and rule following a writ petition filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) challenging the legality of recent price hike of soybean oil by a section of dishonest businessmen and traders.
Recently, the businessmen raised the prices of soybean oil by Tk 13 per litre.
The HRPB filed the writ following a report on the price rise of soybean oil published in November 24 issue of the daily Prothom Alo.
Advocate Manzill Murshid appeared for the petitioner.