Dhaka: The High Court on Wednesday asked the authorities concerned to bring back the vehicular movement across the country into normalcy within 24 hours.

An HC bench comprising Justice Syed Mohammad Dastgir Hossain and Justice Md Ataur Rahman Khan passed the order after hearing a writ petition.

It also issued a rule asking the government to explain why the announcement of blockade against court verdicts should not be declared illegal and why legal action should not be taken against those involved in enforcing hartal and blockade.

Seventeen people, including Road Transport and Bridges, and Home Secretaries, Inspector General of Police, Director

General of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) Deputy Inspector Generals of eight divisions and Chairmen of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority and Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation, have been made respondents to the rule which is returnable in three weeks.

Earlier in the day, Advocate Manzill Murshid, on behalf of Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh, filed the writ petition with the High Court challenging the legality of the ongoing countrywide transport strike and seeking an order to stop the strike within 24 hours.

Bangladesh Road Transport Workers Federation enforced the countrywide indefinite strike on Tuesday protesting two court verdicts – one sentencing life imprisonment to a bus driver in a case filed for a road accident that killed five people, including noted filmmaker Tareque Masud and cinematographer Mishuk Munier while the other sentencing another driver to death in another case filed over a road accident.

The nationwide strike entered the second day on Wednesday, causing immense sufferings to passengers and hitting the business sector hard.