The High Court yesterday issued a rule upon the government to explain in two weeks why its action to obstruct printing and publishing of the daily Amar Desh from an "alternative press" should not be declared illegal.

The HC bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice ABM Altaf Hossain came up with the rule following a writ petition filed by Mahmuda Begum, acting chairman of Amar Desh Publications Ltd.

She filed the petition in May, saying the law enforcers illegally obstructed printing of the Amar Desh at Al-Falah Printing and Press Ltd of the daily Sangram at Baro Moghbazar on April 13 after they

shut down the Amar Desh Printing and Press on April 11.

They arrested binders of the Amar Desh on April 13 in the Al-Falah Printing and Press area, although the Amar Desh authorities had informed the Dhaka district magistrate as per the relevant law of printing the newspaper from the Sangram press, she added.

She prayed to the court to direct the government to permit the Amar Desh authorities to print the newspaper from Al-Falah Printing and Press Ltd.

The home secretary, information secretary, inspector general of police, district magistrate of Dhaka, assistance district magistrate (printing), and officers-in-charge of Ramna and Tejgaon Police Stations have been asked to give the explanations.