The High Court has questioned the authorities’ alleged failure to investigate claims of National Identity Card forgery and use of a false identity in connection with the widely discussed wedding of transgender actor and former news presenter Tasnuva Anan Shishir at Dhakeshwari National Temple.

A bench of Justice K M Kamrul Kader and Justice Fatema Anwar issued a rule on Tuesday asking why the authorities’ inaction in investigating allegations of NID forgery, fraud and provision of false information surrounding the July 10 wedding should not be declared without lawful authority.

The court also asked why the authorities should not be directed to take legal action over the allegations and measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.

The rule followed a writ petition filed on August 30 by lawyer Ishrat Hasan on behalf of Supreme Court lawyer Mohammad Mesbah Uddin Chowdhury.

The home secretary, religious affairs secretary, law secretary, inspector general of police, Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner, deputy commissioner of Lalbagh Division and officer-in-charge of Chawkbazar Police Station were named as respondents.

Advocate Mohammad Ahsan appeared for the petitioner, assisted by Ishrat.

At the centre of the petition is an allegation that an NID submitted to Dhakeshwari Temple under the name “Shishir Biswas” was created using an identification number belonging to another person.

The petition alleges that the NID number submitted to the temple — 6465018189 — actually belongs to a man named Md Jahidul Islam, while Tasnuva Anan’s NID number is 6406677614.

It further alleges that Jahidul’s NID number was used to produce a document carrying altered information, including the name, photograph and details of the parents.

The allegation has not been established by a court.

The NID issue had surfaced publicly before the writ was filed. An August report by Bangla Edition also alleged that the document submitted under the name “Shishir Biswas” carried an NID number belonging to Md Jahidul Islam.

The July 10 ceremony at Dhakeshwari became the subject of controversy weeks after it took place.

Tasnuva, a transgender actor and former television news presenter, arrived at the temple dressed as a bride and married a Hindu man after the couple submitted identity documents, provided witnesses and completed the temple’s paperwork. Priests then performed Hindu wedding rituals.

The ceremony has been described in media reports as Bangladesh’s first reported transgender marriage. It subsequently triggered debate over transgender rights, religious identity, interfaith marriage and the legal status of the union.

Dhakeshwari Temple authorities previously told Daily Waadaa they did not know Tasnuva’s identity when the ceremony was conducted.

Kajal Debnath, a member of the temple management committee, said the couple had arrived dressed as a bride and groom, filled out the required forms, submitted identity documents and brought witnesses.

“There was no way for us to know,” Debnath told Daily Waadaa.

He said Chawkbazar police, the Special Branch and the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence later visited the temple and collected documents related to the ceremony. The temple also submitted its account of the incident to police.

The writ petition goes beyond the alleged NID irregularities and also challenges the legal basis of the marriage.

It argues that existing Bangladeshi law does not provide for marriage between two people assigned male at birth or recognise a person assigned male at birth as a woman for the purpose of marriage solely on the basis of a self-declared transgender identity.

The petitioner also cited a 2023 Health Ministry letter to argue that Bangladesh does not legally recognise gender change.

Those are arguments advanced by the petitioner; the High Court’s issuance of the rule does not amount to a finding that the allegations are true or that the marriage was unlawful.

Ishrat said the case should not be reduced to a debate over a transgender marriage because the petition raises a separate allegation involving the possible use of another person’s NID number to create a false identity document.

The High Court has now asked the government authorities concerned to respond to those allegations.

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