The High Court on Sunday directed passport authorities to dispose of all pending applications for new passports and renewals filed by Bangladeshi expatriates within 60 days.
A bench of Justice Md Habibul Gani and Justice Syed Mohammad Tajul Hossain issued the order while hearing a writ petition filed over delays in processing passport applications of Bangladeshis living abroad.
The court also directed the authorities to submit a progress report on the implementation of the order within 90 days.
The writ petition was filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) after media reports highlighted that many expatriates had been waiting for months for their new passports or passport renewals.
The High Court issued a rule asking why the authorities’ inaction in resolving expatriates’ passport applications should not be declared illegal and why necessary directives should not be issued to ensure their speedy disposal.
The respondents in the petition include the cabinet secretary, secretary to the Prime Minister’s Office, secretaries of the ministries of foreign affairs, expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment, and law, along with the director general of the passport office and other officials.
A total of 14 respondents have been named in the petition.
In a separate directive, the court asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to send letters to Bangladesh high commissions and embassies abroad within 21 days, instructing them to forward pending passport and renewal applications of expatriates to the passport office for quick processing.
The ministry has been asked to submit a progress report on the matter within 30 days.
Deputy Attorney General Mohammad Jisan Haider represented the state, while lawyer Manzil Morshed appeared for HRPB.
Morshed told the court that millions of Bangladeshis working abroad contribute to the national economy through remittances.
He said delays in passport issuance and renewal create serious problems for expatriates, with some facing difficulties at work, which could also affect the country’s remittance inflow.
