Staff Reporter :
The High Court (HC) on Thursday issued a rule asking the government to explain why suspension of academic activities of three branches of Lakehead Grammar School in Dhaka on charges of patronizing religious extremism and militancy would not be declared illegal.
The HC bench of Justice Syed Muhammad Dastagir Hosain and Justice Md Ataur Rahman Khan passed the order after hearing three writ petitions challenging the legality of the government’s decision.
Respondents, including Education Secretary, have to comply with this rule. The court fixed November 12 to hold hearing on the rule.
During hearing the HC said, “Why the Education Ministry shuts school and college? They will make complain to the Home Ministry. More than one thousand and 100 students study there. What will be happen to their future? Why they shut a school suddenly?” Former Attorney General A F Hasan Ariff and Barrister Akhter Imam took part in the hearing in favour of the school while Attorney General Mahbubey Alam stood for the State.
AF Hasan Ariff told the journalists that the HC issued the rules on the grounds that the government stopped functioning of the school branches without issuing any prior notice to the authorities concerned of the institution.
The government can take action against any person of the school if he or she is involved any criminal activities, but, the educational activities of its students cannot be stopped, he said.
The district administration of Dhaka on November 7 sealed three branches of Lakehead Grammar School, shutting all its activities for alleged links to extremism and militancy.
On November 6, 2017, Education Ministry directed Deputy Commissioner of Dhaka through a notification to stop all education activities of Lakehead Grammar School — one branch at Dhanmondi and two branches at Gulshan.
The school did not take permission of the government, read the notification. It was also said in the notification that the school was patronizing religious extremism and militancy.
Earlier, three writ petitions were filed with the High Court (HC) on Thursday challenging the legality of the government’s decision to stop the functions of three branches of Lakehead Grammar School in Dhaka.
Proprietor of the school Khaled Hasan Matin and guardians of 12 students submitted the petitions praying to the High Court to stay the government decision.
In the petitions, they said, the educational activities of the school have been hampered due to the government decision and therefore the education of the students has become uncertain.
Lakehead Grammar School was established in 2006 at Dhanmondi. It has two branches in Gulshan.
