Writ filed with HC challenging legality of Bangladesh–US trade agreement

A public interest writ petition has been filed with the High Court (HC) challenging the legality of the “Reciprocal Trade Agreement” signed between Bangladesh and the United States.

The petition was lodged on Monday (May 4) by Supreme Court lawyer Md Maidul Islam Polok and placed before the court by Advocate Subir Nandi Das.

In the petition, the agreement is described as “unreasonable, structurally imbalanced and contrary to Bangladesh’s national interest.” It alleges that the text of the deal disproportionately prioritises US interests, claiming that references to the United States appear 131 times, compared to only six mentions of Bangladesh.

The petitioner further argues that the agreement was concluded without following constitutionally mandated procedures and fails to safeguard the country’s economic sovereignty and public welfare.

It also claims that the deal imposes an uneven tariff structure on Bangladesh and undermines policy autonomy, potentially posing risks to domestic industries, agriculture and the environment.

The foreign secretary, finance secretary and commerce secretary have been named as respondents in the writ.

According to the petitioner, the matter is expected to be heard by a High Court bench comprising Justice Razik Al Jalil and Justice Debashis Roy.