High Court orders rooftop solar panels on all Dhaka buildings

The High Court on Monday directed authorities to ensure the installation and activation of adequate and functional solar panels on the rooftops of all residential and commercial buildings across Dhaka city. The order came on Monday, after the motion hearing from a division bench of the High Court comprising Justice Md Akram Hossain Chowdhury and Justice Foyez Ahmed in writ petition No 7264 of 202

The High Court on Monday directed authorities to ensure the installation and activation of adequate and functional solar panels on the rooftops of all residential and commercial buildings across Dhaka city.

The order came on Monday, after the motion hearing from a division bench of the High Court comprising Justice Md Akram Hossain Chowdhury and Justice Foyez Ahmed in writ petition No 7264 of 2025, a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA), according to a press release.

The court also issued a rule asking the respondents to explain why their failure to operationalize existing rooftop solar panels should not be declared unconstitutional, unlawful, and against public interest, given its violation of the constitution, as well as national laws, plans, and international climate commitments.

The court also asked why direction should not be issued to fully operationalize all existing solar panels and to install adequate and functional solar panels on the rooftops of every building in Dhaka city to meet the reduction targets of greenhouse gas emission committed under various international conventions, agreements and national master plans.

Besides issuing the rule, the court, through an interim order, directed Rajuk and the Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA) to activate the solar panels already installed on all residential and commercial buildings in Dhaka city.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources (Power Division), Rajuk, and SREDA have been instructed to prepare and implement a time-bound action plan for the installation of adequate and functional solar panels on the rooftops of every building in Dhaka city.

The authorities have been ordered to submit a compliance report on the implementation of the above directives before the court within six months.

The press release reads: "It is worth mentioning that in the context of global climate change, solar power as a source of renewable energy, plays a crucial role in reducing dependency on fossil fuels and lowering carbon emissions. In a densely populated city like Dhaka, there is no alternative to installing and effectively operating rooftop solar panels as a renewable energy solution. Utilizing unused rooftops of the capital to install solar panels and transform them into energy-generating platforms could meet a significant portion of the city's electricity demand, reduce pressure on the national grid and also lower consumers' energy costs.

"Despite its vast potential, the concerned authorities have been slow in taking the necessary steps to implement rooftop solar panel systems. Even where panels have been installed, a lack of proper oversight has rendered many of them inactive or non-functional. To reduce carbon emissions and control temperature by limiting the use of fossil fuel and to increase the adoption of renewable energy, BELA filed the aforementioned public interest case seeking the installation of adequate solar panels on unused rooftops in Dhaka and the proper activation of inactive ones."

Notably, on Thursday, the chief adviser directed authorities concerned to initiate the installation of solar panels on government buildings for solar power generation.

The court order, however, will apply to all residential and commercial buildings in Dhaka city.

The respondents of the case are: secretary of Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources (Power Division); secretary of Ministry of Housing and Public Works; secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; chairman of the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) and the Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA); managing directors of Dhaka Power Distribution Company Limited (DPDC) and Dhaka Electric Supply Company Limited (Desco); president of the Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh (Rehab).

The case was represented on behalf of BELA by Advocate S Hassanul Banna, and on behalf of the state by Deputy Attorney General Mahfuzur Rahman Milon.