No legal bar for three BNP candidates to contest polls
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has concluded hearings on leave-to-appeal petitions concerning the eligibility of three BNP candidates, who faced allegations of loan default and dual citizenship.
In one case, the petition was rejected, while hearings for the other two will be held after the election. With this, there is no legal bar preventing the candidates from contesting the polls.
The hearing took place on Tuesday (February 10) before a bench of the Appellate Division headed by the Chief Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury.
In Dhaka-11, Nahid Islam, the NCP candidate, filed a writ petition on February 2 seeking the suspension of BNP candidate MA Quayum’s candidacy over allegations of concealing dual citizenship. The High Court dismissed the writ on February 3. Nahid then filed a “leave to appeal” with the Appellate Division on February 5, claiming that Quayum holds citizenship of Vanuatu. The hearing for this appeal has been postponed until after the election.
In Comilla-3, BNP candidate Kazi Shah Mofazzal Hossain Kaikobad’s nomination was declared valid by the returning officer. However, Yusuf Sohel, the Jamaat-e-Islami candidate, appealed to the Election Commission (EC) to cancel Kaikobad’s nomination over dual citizenship allegations. After the EC rejected the appeal, Sohel filed a writ petition with the High Court. Following the dismissal of his writ, he filed a leave to appeal, which was rejected by the court today.
In Bogra-1, BNP candidate Kazi Rafiqul Islam’s nomination had been declared valid by the returning officer. Subsequently, another BNP aspirant, Ahsanul Tayyeb Zakir, along with concerned bank authorities, filed appeals with the EC challenging Rafiqul’s candidacy over alleged loan defaults. Both later withdrew their appeals. Later, Jamaat-e-Islami candidate Sahabuddin challenged Rafiqul’s nomination in court, but the High Court dismissed the writ. Sahabuddin then filed a leave to appeal, and the court today ordered that the hearing for this appeal will also take place after the election.