The High Court on Tuesday directed the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh to submit to it, by October 17, a report detailing the price of soya bean oil in the domestic market last year.
A bench of Justice AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury and Justice Gobinda Chandra issued the order after TCB chairman brigadier general Sarwar Jahan Talukder had submitted a report explaining how much soya bean oil it had imported in last six months and what prices.
The bench directed him to submit to it the report detailing the price of the essential cooking oil in the domestic market between January 1 and November 31, 2010.
The court observed that it had information that TCB imported soybean oil at Tk 60 a litre, on an average, but there was allegation that it was selling it at Tk 90 a litre.
On November 28, 2010, the same bench had directed the authorities to submit a report after hearing a public interest litigation writ petition filed by six Supreme Court lawyers on behalf of Bangladesh Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh, challenging the government's inaction and failure to check the price of the cooking oil.
The petitioners contended that the authorities had failed in their responsibilities.
Their counsel Manzill Murshid pointed out that the officials repeatedly failed to comply with the orders the court had issued last year.
He argued, 'If they had complied with the previous order, unscrupulous traders would not be able create an artificial crisis of supply to increase the price of the essential sweetener by exploiting its demand ahead of Ramadan.
The court asked the authorities to explain, in two weeks, their failure to answer the rule.
It also directed the authorities to explain in two weeks why their inaction and failure to check the soaring soya bean oil price would not be declared illegal.
The authorities failed to comply with another directive issued by the court on August 9, to explain the repeated failure by August 16.
On July 24, the court summoned Trading Corporation of Bangladesh chairman, chief controller of exports and imports, Chittagong Port Authority chairman and the director general of National Consumer Protection to explain on August 9 their failure to check hoarding and cub profiteering on cooking oil and sugar.
On Tuesday they appeared before the court and offered apologies for their failure to comply with the directives.
The court directed them to explain their position in writing on August 16.
Citing newspaper reports, the petitioners' counsel told the court that though sugar disappeared from the market the government could not as yet ensure its steady supply at fair price.
Murshid also told the court that virtually all the grocers had stopped selling sugar in only weeks ago, on the plea that they had no stocks.
The lawyer told the court that the retailers were charging Tk 123 per litre of bottled soybean oil though the government had set its price at Tk 109 a litre.
He also presented a one-litre bottle of soybean oil of Rupchanda Oil Company to drive home his point.
He also pointed out that the prices of the two essential items were set by the government following a decision the commerce ministry had taken at a meeting with sugar and cooking oil refiners.
The petitioners' lawyer contended, 'It is the duty of the controller of imports and exports to protect consumers' rights.
Source : New Age
