A writ has been filed in the High Court seeking cancellation of permission to export 3000 tonnes of hilsa to India and permanent ban on hilsa export from Padma, Meghna.
On Wednesday (September 25), the lawyer of the Supreme Court Mahmudul Hassan in the relevant branch of the High Court filed the writ.
The lawyer filed the writ after issuing a legal notice protesting the permission to export hilsa to India. In this, the Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce, the Secretary of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, the Chairman of the National Board of Revenue and the Chief Controller of the Import-Export Office have been made defendants.
The legal notice given before this writ stated that Hilsa fish is available in different countries of the world including Bangladesh, India, Myanmar. Neighboring country India has huge and extensive maritime boundaries. Hilsa is widely produced in Indian waters. Considering this, there is no need to import hilsa fish from Bangladesh to India. But India mainly imports hilsa from Padma river in Bangladesh.
Indian agents and fish exporters in Bangladesh stock Padma River hilsa fish throughout the year and export Padma River hilsa fish to India subject to the permission of the Bangladesh government and, in some cases, illegally smuggle across the border. Due to the export and smuggling of hilsa fish from the Padma river in Bangladesh to India, the people of Bangladesh do not get hilsa from the Padma river in the market. As a result, the people of Bangladesh have to eat sea hilsa, which is not as tasty as padma hilsa.
The notice also said that Bangladesh imports various daily necessities from India but the Indian government never exports any product to Bangladesh without meeting the needs of the people of its own country. And according to Bangladesh's export policy 2021-24, Hilsa fish is not a fish that can be freely exported. In this situation, the Ministry of Commerce has acted against the interests of the people of Bangladesh by allowing the export of hilsa fish to India. Therefore, it is requested to take necessary measures to stop the export of hilsa to India within three days of receiving this notice.