Dhaka: The Supreme Court in an order on Wednesday said that the owners of newspapers and news agencies must pay the taxes applicable for the wages of their employees.

An Appellate Division bench, headed by Justice Abdul Wahab Miah, passed the order after a hearing on a writ petition filed against the provision concerned of the 4^th wage board award, reported UNB.

Deputy Attorney General Sarder Rashed Jahangir stood for the state during the hearing while no one from the petitioners was present.

The writ was filed with the High Court by the owners-authorities of Sangbad Ltd, Inqilab Enterprise and Publication Ltd, Khabar Group of Publications Ltd, Azad Publications Ltd and Ittefaq Group of Publications Ltd following the 4^th wage board award in 1991.

After the primary hearing on the petition, the High Court issued a rule asking why the provision obliging the newspaper owners to pay the income taxes of the employees should not be declared illegal.

After the final hearing on the petition, the HC in 1997 gave an order scrapping the provision concerned.

The state filed a leave-to-appeal against the verdict which was accepted in 2003. The state filed the appeal against the HC order in that year.