The High Court on Sunday directed the authorities to dispose of all pending applications for new passports and passport renewals filed by Bangladeshi expatriates within 60 days, following a public interest litigation over prolonged delays in passport services.

The order was issued by a High Court bench comprising Justice Md Habibul Gani and Justice Syed Mohammad Tajrul Hossain after a preliminary hearing on a writ petition filed in the public interest.

The court also directed the authorities to submit a final progress report within 90 days detailing the steps taken to implement the order.

In a separate directive, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was instructed to send letters within 21 days to all Bangladesh embassies and high commissions abroad, asking them to promptly forward expatriates' passport applications to the Department of Passports and Immigration in Dhaka. The ministry has been ordered to submit a compliance report to the court within 30 days.

The High Court also issued a four-week rule asking the government to explain why administrative inaction and delays in issuing passports to expatriate Bangladeshis should not be declared illegal.

The rule named 14 respondents, including the Cabinet Secretary, the Principal Secretary to the Chief Adviser's Office, the Foreign Secretary, the Secretary of the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, the Law Secretary, and the Director General of the Department of Passports and Immigration.

The writ petition was filed by the human rights organisation Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB). Appearing for the petitioner, senior lawyer Manzill Murshid told the court that recent media reports had highlighted the plight of expatriate Bangladeshis who had been unable to obtain passports for extended periods, leaving many in severe hardship.