A Supreme Court lawyer on Sunday filed a writ petition that sought a High Court directive calling for reopening in 24 hours Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, which was closed for 44 days beginning on July 10 amid protests by teachers and students.
The petition, filed by lawyer Younus Ali Akond, also sought a rule on the authorities concerned to explain why the ongoing agitation, the strike and the closure of the university should not be declared illegal.
The lawyer also sought directive asking the authorities to explain why its inaction to reopen the university should not be declared illegal.
In his petition, Younus said that he had filed the petition as the guardian as his daughter, who is an admission seeker and is affected by the closure that has also hampered the academic activities and might delay the academic life of the students.
He also sought that BUET authorities should be directed to begin the admission process as the results of the Higher Secondary Certificate and equivalent exams have already been published.
Younus told reporters on Sunday that the High Court bench of Justice Naima Haider and Justice Muhammad Khurshid Alam Sarkar was likely to hear the petition today.
Teachers of BUET rallying for the removal of the vice-chancellor and the pro-vice-chancellor, meanwhile, told New Age that they would review their decision of mass resignation.
The BUET Teachers’ Association general secretary, Ashraful Islam, told New Age that that they would continue their movement until their demand for the removal of the vice-chancellor, SM Nazrul Islam, and the pro-vice-chancellor, Habibur Rahman, was met.
He said that the association would review the overall situation at a meeting to be held about 1.30pm today after the daily sit-in in front of the council building from 11:00am to 1:00pm.
Ashraful said that the association would make a decision on its next course of action at the meeting.
The teachers association at meeting on July 21 postponed their decision on mass resignation till July 30.
BUET teachers on July 16 decided to resign en masse on July 22 if their demand was not met by 4:00pm on the day.
The association president, Mujibur Rahman, said that they had postponed the plan for mass resignation to facilitate the government’s initiatives to resolve the crisis.
When Ashraful’s attention was called to the writ petition, he said that they would make a decision on the matter when they would receive papers.
The teachers and students staged the sit-in on the campus for the ninth consecutive day on Sunday to push for their demand.
They began the fresh round of protests in front of the council building on July 21 after a break of two days of 18 and 19 July.
The protestors began the sit-in on July 11 pushing for the removal of the vice-chancellor and the pro-vice-chancellor after the authorities on the night of July 10 closed the university for 44 days.
The same day, all the five deans and the 17 department heads and directors of three institutes under the university resigned as the vice-chancellor and the pro-vice-chancellor refused to quit.
The teachers in April 8-May 5 rallied against the administration, pushing for removal of the two top officials.