Notice seeks info on govt’s steps to stop wiretapping

PBC News: Ten lawyers of the Supreme Court have sent a legal notice seeking information about the steps taken by the government to prevent eavesdropping. If no reply is received within seven days of receiving the notice, a writ petition will be filed in the High Court.

Lawyer Mohammad Shishir Monir sent the notice on behalf of 10 Supreme Court lawyers by post and registry by post on Tuesday.

The Ministry of Post, Telecommunication and Information Technology, Department of Post and Telecommunication, Department of Information and Communication Technology and BTRC have been made respondent in the notice. It has been asked to inform what steps have been taken in this regard within the next seven days.

The 10 lawyers who issued the notice are: Rezwana Ferdous, Uttam Kumar Banik, Shah Nabila Kashfi, Farhad Ahmed Siddique, Mohammad Nawab Ali, Mohammad Ibrahim Khalil, Mustafizur Rahman, GM Mujahidur Rahman, Imrul Kayes and Ekramul Kabir.

The notice mentions 16 incidents of wiretapping from 2013 to 2021 which includes dialogues between Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia, Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader and BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, late senior lawyer Moudud Ahmed and Rajshahi metropolitan police assistant commissioner Nazmul Hasan.

These eavesdropping incidents were widely reported in the media of the country and also spread through social media, said the notice.