HC orders disposal of expatriates’ pending passport applications within 60 days

The High Court on Sunday directed the passport authorities to dispose of all pending applications for new passports and passport renewals submitted by Bangladeshi expatriates within 60 days.
The order was passed by a bench comprising Justice Md Habibul Gani and Justice Syed Mohammad Tazrul Hossain after hearing a public interest writ petition filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB).
The court also directed the authorities concerned to submit a compliance report within 90 days.
In addition, the High Court issued a four-week rule asking the government to explain why the alleged failure to process expatriates’ passport applications promptly should not be declared illegal and why directives should not be issued to ensure the expeditious disposal of such applications.
As part of its interim order, the court instructed the passport authorities to clear all pending passport renewal applications submitted by expatriates within the stipulated 60-day period.
In a separate interim order, the High Court directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to issue a circular within 21 days instructing all Bangladesh missions abroad, including embassies and high commissions, to promptly forward applications for new passports and renewals submitted by expatriates to the Department of Immigration and Passports.
The ministry was also directed to submit a compliance report within 30 days.
The writ petition was filed following media reports alleging that applications 
for new passports and passport renewals submitted by Bangladeshi expatriates had remained pending for prolonged periods, causing considerable hardship to applicants.
During the hearing, HRPB counsel Senior Advocate Manzill Murshid argued that millions of Bangladeshi expatriates make a significant contribution to the national economy through remittance inflows, but delays in issuing and renewing passports were creating serious difficulties for them.
He told the court that many expatriates had encountered employment-related complications, while some had even lost their jobs because of delays in passport services, adversely affecting both remittance inflows and the country’s economy.