The Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institutions (BSTI) on Monday informed the High Court that bottled drinking water of five brands were substandard.
The bench of Justices Sheikh Hassan Arif and Razik-Al-Jalil instructed the BSTI to inform the court of the legal steps that were taken against the brands by February 24.
The companies are Yummy Yummy, Aqua Mineral, CFB, Osma and Sinmin.
The BSTI had examined the bottled drinking water of 15 companies and found five to be below standard.
On May 22, 2018, a newspaper ran a report on bottled water scam. Five days later, Advocate Shammi Akhter filed a writ petition with the High Court attaching the report.
On December 3, the court asked the BSTI and law enforcement agencies to take necessary steps to stop the supply of unauthorised bottled water. It also sought a report through the attorney general within 15 days on what steps the BSTI had taken in this regard.
Further, the court also issued a rule asking the government to explain why its failure to provide pure drinking water in bottles and jars should not be declared illegal.
As the report was not submitted through the attorney general, the court on January 14 ordered the BSTI to file a report within a week.