Battery-run rickshaws are free to operate in the Dhaka metropolitan area for one month, the chamber court has announced, staying a High Court order.
Earlier, the High Court bench of Justice Fatema Najib and Justice Sikder Mahmudur Razi banned auto-rickshaws from operating on city streets on November 19, citing public safety concerns, based on a writ petition by the Pedal-run Rickshaw Association.
The directive ordered the cessation of or restrictions on the operation of battery-run auto-rickshaws on Dhaka Metropolitan roads within three days.
This directive was issued to the Home Secretary, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dhaka Deputy Commissioner, administrators of the two city corporations, and the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner, among others.
The court's order triggered protests and clashes across the city before the government finally moved the chamber court.
Seeking a suspension of this directive, the government filed an appeal with the Appellate Division on Sunday. The appeal was heard on Monday in the Chamber Court of the Appellate Division.
Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman represented the state during the hearing, while lawyer HM Sanjid Siddiqui appeared on behalf of the writ petitioners.
