HC clears way for BNP mayoral candidate
The High Court yesterday cleared the way for BNP mayoral candidate Kawsar Zaman Babla to contest the Rangpur City Corporation election to be held on December 21.
The bench of Justice Salma Masud Chowdhury and Justice AKM Zahirul Hoque dropped from the hearing list a writ petition filed challenging the legality of the candidacy of Kawsar, also vice president of Rangpur city BNP unit.
Kawsar's lawyer Barrister Bodruddoza Badal told The Daily Star that there is no legal bar for his client to vie for the mayoral post following the HC order.
The HC bench passed the order as it did not want to interfere in the issue of candidature of Kawsar considering that the election will be held within a short period of time, he added.
He said Sonali Bank filed the writ petition with the HC seeking its order upon the Election Commission to suspend Kawsar's candidature on charge of loan default.
Earlier, on November 26, the returning officer of Rangpur accepted the candidacy of Kawsar and allowed him to vie for mayoral post.
The Sonali Bank the same day submitted a petition to the returning officer to cancel his candidature, but the petition was rejected. Then, the bank appealed to the divisional commissioner of Rangpur challenging the returning officer's decision. But the divisional commissioner also rejected the appeal on November 30.
Recently, the bank filed the petition challenging the legality of divisional commissioner's order, added Kawsar's lawyer Bodruddoza.
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