QR Code Compliance Sought for Imported Goods Thru' High Court Petition

A writ petition has been filed with the High Court seeking mandatory implementation of QR codes on imported products in Bangladesh. The petition, filed in the relevant branch of the High Court on Sunday, April 20, names six respondents: the Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce, the Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, the Chief Controller of the Office of the Chief Controller of Imports and Exports, the Chairman of the National Board of Revenue (NBR), the Chairman of the Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission, and the Director General of the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI).

The public interest litigation was submitted by ten lawyers: Md. Monirul Islam Miah, Md. Rokonuzzaman, Ragib Kabir, Abu Shahed, Rehemin Chowdhury, Arfan Sultana, Md. Saiful Islam, Hasan Ishaq Bhuiyan, Md. Arif Chowdhury, and Umme Aiman Zenib.

The petition urges the court to issue a rule asking why the government should not establish a central online verification system and make QR code labeling mandatory on all imported goods to safeguard consumer rights, prevent revenue loss, and protect public health and welfare. It further questions why the inaction of the authorities should not be declared as lacking legal authority and contrary to public interest, and seeks directives for the respondents to take appropriate measures in this regard.

Speaking on behalf of the petitioners, Advocate Monirul Islam Miah stated, “The writ challenges the failure and inaction of the concerned authorities in taking necessary steps to ensure QR code verification for every imported item and to create a national database of authorized importers, considering the grave public health risks posed by counterfeit and unauthorized imported goods.”