The High Court (HC) yesterday prohibited issuance of driving licences without tests till October 17, following a petition jointly filed by four rights organisations.
The court directed the authorities concerned of government to submit all the documents upon which licences were issued in the last five years.
An HC bench comprising Justice Mirza Hussain Haider and Justice Md Nuruzzaman passed the order, in response to the petition filed as a supplementary to a pending writ petition.
On August 23, Legal Aid and Human Rights Committee of Bangladesh Bar Council and three other organisations filed the petition seeking directives from the HC to impose restrictions on the issuance of driving licences.
The three others are Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust, Ain O Salish Kendra and Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association.
Earlier on August 16, the organisations filed the writ petition following the death of eminent filmmaker Tareque Masud and broadcast journalist Ashfaque Mishuk Munier in a road accident, seeking necessary orders from the HC in a bid to prevent road accidents.
Following the writ petition, the same HC bench on August 17 directed the government to submit to it by October 17 a comprehensive report on the measures taken in the last five years to repair and develop roads and highways, prevent road accidents and ensure road safety across the country.
Barrister Sara Hossain and Advocate Iqbal Kabir Lytton appeared for the petitioners.
On August 18, at a press conference Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan said drivers do not need to be educated to qualify for a driving licence.
He said if a driver can sign his name, can differentiate between a cow and a goat and can understand traffic signals should be eligible for a licence.
His comments generated a lot of media outburst as eminent citizens observed that the minister is actually recommending to let loose potential killers on the roads.
Shahjahan is the president of Bangladesh Road Transport Workers Federation which recommended that 24,000 drivers be given Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) licences without holding written tests.
BRTA had already issued 10,000 driving licences in 2009 without tests on the minister's recommendation.
Source : The Daily Star
