The High Court on Sunday issued a contempt of court rule against the chairman of Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) for not complying with its directive over setting the price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
In the rule, the HC asked the BERC chairman to explain in two weeks as to why contempt of court proceedings should not be initiated against him and as to why he should not be
punished for not implementing its directives. The HC Bench of Justice Md Mozibur Rahman Miah and Justice Mohi Uddin Shamim came up with the rule after holding hearing on a writ petition filed by Consumers’ Association of Bangladesh (CAB).
Petitioner’s lawyer Jyotirmoy Barua told the reporters that following the same petition another HC Bench on August 25 this year ordered BERC and its chairman to set LPG price after holding a mass hearing on the issue and to submit a report to this court in 30 days after complying with the directive.
Jyotirmoy said BERC has not set any LPG price after 2009 although it was supposed to do that, comparing with the international market price.
The lawyer also said that the BERC has recently submitted a report in the High Court saying that they had formed a committee for fixing the price of LPG and the committee is working on the issue.
Consumers’ Association of Bangladesh (CAB) filed the writ petition in 2016 demanding the fixation of LPG tariff by holding a public hearing as per section 34 of the BERC Act 2003.
After primary hearing the court on November 13, 2016 issued a rule asking the respondents to explain as to why their inaction to re-fix LPG tariff by holding a public hearing and considering petitioner’s application would not be declared as illegal. Barrister Jyotirmoy submitted that the BERC was legally authorized to regulate LPG prices, but the organization left the matter to importers and dealers.
