A writ petition was filed in the High Court on Sunday (July 26) seeking a direct order to halt the illegal collection of additional waste removal fees from households across the Dhaka North and South City Corporation areas. Supreme Court lawyer Salah Uddin Regan submitted the public interest litigation (PIL) in the relevant High Court section, challenging the practice as unlawful double taxation given that municipal corporations already levy garbage removal fees through holding taxes.

The petition has been placed before a High Court bench comprising Justice Razik-Al-Jalil and Justice Debasish Roy Chowdhury for an upcoming primary hearing later this week.

petitioner Advocate Salah Uddin Regan stated, "City corporations regularly collect holding taxes from residents, which already include specific allocation for waste management and removal. Demanding additional monthly fees under the guise of door-to-door van services after levying holding taxes is entirely illegal and unconstitutional."

The advocate revealed that prior to seeking judicial intervention, he submitted formal written representations to the administrators of both Dhaka North and South City Corporations on June 10. Receiving no redress, he subsequently issued a formal legal notice to the Local Government Secretary and key municipal officials earlier this July, but inaction forced him to move the High Court in the public interest.

The petition names key authorities, including the Local Government Secretary and administrators of both Dhaka North and South City Corporations, as respondents. The High Court is expected to hold a preliminary hearing on the matter within the ongoing week.