The High Court (HC) yesterday ordered the Dhaka University authorities to reinstate the word 'Muslim' with the name of its students' dormitory Fazlul Huq Hall as it was before 1972.

A HC division bench comprising Justice Joynul Abedin and Justice Miftauddin Chowdhury issued the rule.

Advocate Shamsul Alam, a lawyer of the Supreme Court, had filed a writ petition challenging the validity of the Dhaka University Syndicate's June 16, 1972 decision to delete the word 'Muslim' from the name of 'Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall'.

The HC on June 12, 2004, issued a rule upon the Vice Chancellor and the Registrar of Dhaka University and Provost of Fazlul Huq Hall to show cause as to why the Syndicate's decision of deleting the word 'Muslim' from the name of the hall should not be declared illegal.

The HC yesterday declared 1972 decision of the University Syndicate illegal and the rule absolute.

Advocate ABM Nurul Islam moved for the petitioner before the court while Assistant Attorney General Zaman Akhter Bulbul stood for the university.

Earlier, the High Court ordered the Dhaka University authorities to reinstate the word 'Muslim' with its student's dormitory Salimullah Hall as it was before 1972.