The Supreme Court today asked the High Court to give its decision by May 31 on a ruling over the legality of collecting information from the tenants by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).

The HC bench led by Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury has been asked to dispose of the ruling by May 31 through holding hearing.

READ more: HC questions DMP provision

A four-member bench of Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha passed the order after hearing a petition file by the government seeking a stay on a ruling issued by the HC on March 27.
On that day, the HC bench questioned the legality of a provision under which the DMP has been collecting information about residents of Dhaka metropolitan area.

Also READ: Provide personal info by March 15

It also issued a ruling upon the government to explain by a week as to why the provision of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Rules and Regulations 2006 should not be declared unconstitutional and illegal.
The DMP on February 29 announced that it had been collecting "identification information" about landlords and tenants since November last year and asked all to provide such information by March 15.
On March 13, another HC bench rejected another petition that sought an order to stop the collection of tenants' information, saying that the DMP was allowed to take any step under DMP rules and regulations, 2006, to prevent terrorism and militant activities in the city.

The info

The police had then said they sought information in three types of forms -- for house and flat owners, tenants, and mess owners and their tenants.
The form for house and flat owners asks for 17 types of information with photographs.
These are the individual's name, father's name, date of birth, marital status, the type of the house, present and permanent addresses, religion, occupation, work address, educational qualification, mobile phone number, email ID, national ID number, passport number, contact person, and names and details of house helps, drivers, and security guards with their photos.
The tenant's form asks for 15 types of information and photographs and the one for mess owners and their tenants, 13 types of information and photographs are sought.

Lawyers and rights activists have been expressing skepticism about how the information would be used to the advantage of city dwellers.