HC stays DSCC councillor polls
Election was slated for Feb 26
The High Court yesterday stayed for four months the process of holding elections to the 18 councillors' posts in Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC).
The polls to these posts were slated for February 26, according to the schedule issued by the Election Commission (EC) on January 9.
Eighteen general wards and six reserved wards for women were included in DSCC in July last year.
Yesterday, the HC bench of Justice Tariq ul Hakim and Justice Md Faruque also issued two separate rules on EC and the government questioning the legality of the schedule issued by the EC for holding the polls.
The bench issued the order and rules following two writ petitions filed by Joynal Abedin, chairman of Demra union, and a voter Mozammel Mia, challenging the legality of the election timetable.
On Wednesday, they submitted the petitions on ground that all the posts of union parishads (UPs) will have to be dissolved and a gazette notification has to be issued to this effect under the Local Government (Union Parishad) Act, 2009 before including them as wards in the city corporation. Yesterday, the HC stayed the process of holding elections to the councillors' post under DSCC a day after the court halted for three-month the process of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) polls.