A writ petition has been filed with the High Court seeking an investigation into the role of the former chief adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus and other advisers over the handling of measles vaccination.

The petition also seeks a directive to impose a travel ban on 24 individuals, including Dr Yunus and both current and former advisers.

Supreme Court lawyer Barrister M Ashraful Islam filed the petition on Sunday, alleging that the concerned authorities were involved in shifting the country’s measles vaccination programme from the state-run system to the private sector.

In the writ, the petitioner called for the formation of an investigation committee and sought court orders barring all members of the advisory council, including Dr Yunus, from leaving the country until the probe is completed.

The cabinet secretary along with the secretaries of the ministries of Health, Home Affairs, and Public Administration, and the Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), among others, have been named as respondents.

Earlier, on April 6, legal notices were served on the concerned  authorities. At the time, Barrister Ashraful Islam said a sudden and severe outbreak of measles had spread across the country, a disease that was previously under control. He claimed that more than a hundred children had died, while countless others, including children and adults, were hospitalised after contracting the disease.

Alleging that the shift of vaccination services to the private sector was driven by vested and unlawful interests, the lawyer called for an investigation and urged authorities to impose travel restrictions on those concerned until the inquiry is completed.

The notice also named several individuals, including Dr Asif Nazrul, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Adilur Rahman Khan, Noorjahan Begum, Brigadier (Retd.) Sakhawat Hossain, Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, as well as former press secretary Shafiqul Alam and concerned former personal officials.

S.M./CitizenTimes