A writ petition was filed in the High Court on Wednesday, demanding the cancellation of all power supply agreements with India’s Adani Group.
The public interest petition was submitted by Barrister M Kayum to the relevant branch of the High Court, with a hearing scheduled before a bench led by Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Debashish Roy Chowdhury.
The Ministry of Power secretary and other associated officials have been listed as respondents in the petition.
On November 6, a legal notice was sent to the government, urging the cancellation of all agreements with Adani Group concerning power.
The notice highlighted the need to reconsider or revoke these allegedly “unfair and one-sided” contracts. The lawyer involved warned that if steps were not taken within three days, a writ petition would be filed in the High Court.
The notice further requested the formation of a review committee consisting of energy and legal experts to produce a detailed report.
The chairman of the Power Development Board (PDB) and the Ministry of Power Secretary were given a three-day deadline to respond, which led to the filing of the writ after the deadline expired.
The 25-year power purchase agreement with Adani Group was signed in 2017 under the guidance of the Power Division, before any coal-fired power plants were operational in Bangladesh.
Currently, electricity is being supplied from Adani’s 1,600-megawatt plant in Jharkhand, India, to Bangladesh.
At a National Review Committee meeting on September 28, officials decided to collect comprehensive data on 11 power plants.
The Power Division has been directed to submit relevant data and documents, including those concerning Adani’s power plant in India, for review.