04:54 PM, December 11, 2018 / LAST MODIFIED: 05:18 PM, December 11, 2018

HC drops Hawlader’s candidacy plea from its list

The High Court (HC) today dropped from its hearing list a writ petition filed by Jatiya Party leader Ruhul Amin Hawlader challenging the Election Commission's rejection of the appeal against cancellation of his nomination papers for contesting in the upcoming national election.

The HC bench of Justice Tariq ul Hakim and Justice MdShohrowardimade the petition “out of the list” as the judges did not find any reason for passing any order in favour of Ruhul Amin Hawlader, Deputy Attorney General Amatul Karim Sawpna told The Daily Star.

She said Hawlader, special assistant to the JP”s chairman, cannot take part in the December 30 election following the HC order.

Hawlader, however, can move the same writ petition before another HC bench for an order, DAG Amatul added.

Hawlader, a presidium member of the JP and also a lawmaker, submitted the writ petition on December 8 seeking HC directive on the EC to accept his nomination papers.

Talking to this newspaper, his lawyer Ashik-Al Jalil said the EC scrapped the appeal following a Bangladesh Bank a letter, which stated that Hawlader is a loan defaulter at the Shahjalal Islami Bank Ltd (SIBL).

Jalil said the SIBL allowed his client to reschedule the loans, but the EC did not consider the matter when it heard the JP leader's appeal.

The lawyer claimed that the central bank cannot declare a person loan defaulter because only the bank, which gives the loan, can do so.

As the SIBL has not declared Hawlader a loan defaulter, the EC's rejection of his appeal is illegal, Jalil added.

The JP leader's nomination papers were rejected by the returning officer concerned during scrutiny on December 2.


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