The High Court on Tuesday issued a rule asking why an inquiry commission should not be formed to investigate alleged failures by the authorities in tackling the ongoing measles outbreak.
The court directed the cabinet secretary, along with the secretaries of the Health Ministry, Home Ministry, and Public Administration Ministry, as well as the Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) and other concerned officials, to respond to the rule.
The order came following a preliminary hearing of a writ petition filed in the public interest. The bench comprising Justice Razik Al Jalil and Justice Debashish Roy Chowdhury passed the order.
Senior lawyer Syed Mamun Mahbub appeared for the petitioner. Speaking to reporters, he said the court sought an explanation as to why an inquiry commission should not be constituted to determine responsibility for what he described as an ongoing “children’s tragedy” and the alleged failure of the state to fulfil its duties.
Earlier on May 17, Supreme Court lawyer Barrister M Ashraful Islam filed the writ petition, alleging that the measles vaccination programme had been shifted from the state system to the private sector.
The petition also sought the formation of an investigation committee and a directive imposing a travel ban on former chief adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus and members of the advisory council until the completion of the probe.
A legal notice was served on April 6. At the time, the petitioner claimed that measles, once nearly eradicated, had re-emerged across the country in a severe form, with more than a hundred children reportedly dead and many others infected and hospitalised.
He reiterated allegations regarding the transfer of the vaccination system to the private sector and called for an investigation, along with restrictions on the departure of those concerned until the inquiry is completed.
