The High Court has published the full copy of its verdict declaring free access to safe drinking water a fundamental right for every citizen under the Constitution.
The 16-page complete verdict was recently released following the signatures of the then High Court bench comprising Justice Md Ashraful Kamal and Justice Kazi Waliul Islam.
Earlier, on February 27, 2025, the High Court delivered the verdict. In 2020, the court issued a suo motu rule seeking to ensure safe and usable water for every citizen of the country.
Through the rule, the court sought to determine whether ensuring the supply of safe drinking water for all citizens is the responsibility of the state and whether access to such safe water can be declared a fundamental right of every citizen.
Following the final hearing of the rule, the High Court delivered its verdict on February 27 last year.
In the verdict, the court said that under Article 32 of the Constitution of Bangladesh, access to safe and pure drinking water is a fundamental right of every citizen, and ensuring this right is the responsibility of the state.
The court also issued several directives to ensure the supply of safe drinking water. These include instructions to the government to protect all water sources in Bangladesh so that they do not degrade, dry up, become unsafe, or get polluted.
As an initial step, within the next one year, the government must ensure safe drinking water for every citizen at all major public places across Bangladesh, including railway stations, bus terminals, launch terminals, airports, haat bazaars, shopping malls, government hospitals, religious places of worship, all government educational institutions, saline coastal areas, remote hilly regions, all courts, bar associations, and other significant public places.
Within the next 10 years, arrangements must be made to ensure free access to safe drinking water for every citizen across the country, and potable water for other purposes at affordable prices. The court has also directed the government to submit a report by 2026 detailing the measures taken to ensure the free supply of safe drinking water at all public places. The case has been kept pending.
Earlier, during the hearing of the case, senior advocates Manzil Morshed, Minhajul Haque Chowdhury, and Barrister Mohammad Humayun Kabir Pallab presented their opinions as amici curiae.
