May 5, 2026
DHAKA – A Supreme Court lawyer today filed a writ petition with the High Court challenging the legality of the Reciprocal Trade Agreement (RTA) signed between Bangladesh and the United States of America on February 9.
Advocate Mohammad Maidul Islam Polok submitted the petition as a public interest litigation through Advocate Subir Nandi Das, saying that the “impugned” agreement is manifestly unreasonable, structurally unequal, and detrimental not only to the national interest of Bangladesh but also to the public at large.
In this context, the petition has been filed on behalf of the general public, seeking judicial intervention to protect broader public interest.
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The petitioner further alleged a failure on the part of the respondents to safeguard the country’s economic sovereignty and public welfare in the negotiation and execution of the agreement.
The secretaries of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Finance, and Ministry of Commerce have been impleaded as respondents in the petition.
The petition raises concerns regarding disproportionate obligations imposed upon Bangladesh, adverse tariff arrangements, erosion of regulatory autonomy, and potential harm to domestic industries, agriculture, and environmental safeguards. It also questions the constitutional validity of the agreement on the ground of non-compliance with the procedural requirements relating to treaty-making under the Constitution, petitioner’s lawyer Subir Nandi Das told The Daily Star.
The matter is expected to be mentioned for hearing before the High Court bench of Justice Razik Al Jalil and Mr Justice Devasish Roy later in the day, he added.