B'desh govt ordered to ensure use of Bangla in ads, signboards

Bangladeshi authorities have been directed by the High Court to ensure the use of Bangla in all official advertisements and on vehicle registration plates and signboards within a month.
A bench of Justices Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque and A B M Altaf Hossain issued the order after hearing a petition filed by a Supreme Court lawyer.
The court here directed the government yesterday to submit a report by April 1 on complying with its order, The Daily Star reported.
The order said the government should take necessary steps to ensure the use of Bangla in advertisements in the electronic media and on vehicle registration plates, signboards and billboards across the country.

The ruling will not apply to foreign embassies and entities.
The court further asked the government to explain in two weeks why it should not be directed to make Bangla mandatory in all sectors, including offices and courts, in keeping with the Bangla Bhasha Procholon Ain (Bangla Language Introduction Law) of 1987.

Petitioner Eunus Ali Akond said he was prompted to act because the law had not been implemented.
Bangla Academy chief Shamsuzzaman Khan welcomed the order, saying Bangla had long been neglected.
After the court order, all government offices and mass media should use Bangla in their documentation, he said.

The Academy is a national institute to promote Bangla, the state language.