The High Court (HC) on Wednesday rejected a rule issued by the Chittagong Port Authority challenging the legality of the ongoing process of contracting with a foreign company to operate the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) at Chittagong Port. As a result, there was no obstacle to the Chittagong Port Authority’s contract with a foreign company to operate the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) at Chittagong Port.

A single HC bench of Justice Zafar Ahmed passed the order on Thursday rejecting a rule issued in this regard.

Barrister Jamiruddin Sircar, Advocate Ahsanul Karim and Barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokon stood for the writ petitioner. Additional Attorney General Anik R Haque represented the state.

On December 4, the High Court (HC) issued a verdict on a rule challenging the legality of the Chittagong Port Authority’s contract with a foreign company for the operation of the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) at Chittagong Port. Justice Fatema Najib, the senior judge of the bench, declared the agreement process illegal. Justice Fatema Anwar, a senior judge of the bench, dismissed the writ petition and declared the agreement process valid.

Later, the chief justice referred the matter to a single bench of Justice Zafar Ahmed for disposal.

On November 25, a rule was filed on the legality of the Chittagong Port Authority’s ongoing contract with a foreign company for the operation of the Newmooring Container Terminal (NCT) at Chittagong Port. At the same time, today is the date for the order.

On July 30, the High Court (HC) issued a rule asking the authorities concerned to explain why the Chittagong Port Authority’s ongoing process of contracting with a foreign company to operate the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) at Chittagong Port should not be declared illegal. At the same time, the rule also asked why no operator should be directed to ensure fair and competitive public bidding as per the relevant laws and policies before giving the responsibility (appointing) any operator to operate the NCT.

Mirza Walid Hossain, president of Bangladesh Young Economists Forum, filed the writ petition on behalf of Bangladesh Young Economists Forum. The shipping secretary, the chairman of the Chittagong Port Authority and the chief executive officer of the PPP authority were made respondents to the writ petition.

A report was published in a national daily on April 26 last year titled ‘Everything is in the hands of foreigners, but everything is in the hands of foreigners’. The writ petition was filed seeking directions to call for fair and competitive tenders in the management of NCT by attaching the report along with the report published in various media outlets.