Published: 01:22 AM, 30 September 2026 Last Update: 01:25 AM, 30 September 2026
Foreign Travel Ban on 3 Friends: HC Issues Rule
The High Court (HC) has issued a rule asking why the act of preventing three female friends from travelling to Nepal, despite their having valid passports and all necessary travel documents, should not be declared illegal.
The court also directed the Additional Inspector General of the Police in charge of the Immigration Branch to investigate a complaint filed over the incident, dispose of it within seven days, and submit a report to the court.
The High Court bench comprising Justice K M Kamrul Kader and Justice Fatema Anwar issued the rule on Tuesday.
The Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Inspector General of Police, the Additional Inspector General of Immigration Police, the Director of Immigration Police, the Officer-in-Charge of HazratShahjalal International Airport Immigration Police, and the immigration officials on duty have been made respondents in the rule. They have been asked to respond to the rule within four weeks.
Advocate IshratHasan, who represented the petitioners in court, told bdnews24.com, "RifaTamanna, Sohani Islam Samapti and Naznin are friends. They are adults and there are no cases pending against them or any court orders restricting their movement. When they went to the airport on August 8 intending to travel to Nepal, they were stopped by immigration officials.
"When they sought to travel to Nepal, immigration officials stopped them and asked unnecessary questions, including why they were unmarried and whether they had their families' permission to travel abroad. They were subsequently not allowed to pass through immigration, and no reason was given for the decision."
Advocate Ishrat said the women suffered financial losses, including expenses related to their tickets and bookings, after being stopped at immigration.
"On August 31, a formal complaint was filed with the Additional Inspector General of Police in charge of the Immigration Branch, seeking an investigation into the incident, preservation of the CCTV footage, action against those responsible, and compensation for the victims," she said.
"As there was no response to the complaint, a legal notice was sent to the respondents on September 6. After receiving no response to that either, the writ petition was filed before the High Court on September 15.
"The petition raised the issue of violations of citizens' fundamental rights to freedom of movement and equality under the relevant provisions of the Constitution.
"The writ also sought directions to ensure that, in the future, women are not unnecessarily harassed while travelling abroad solely on the basis of their marital status or questions about parental consent, as well as compensation for the financial losses suffered by the petitioners."
