JS Speaker can dispose application for declaring MP Shahid’s seat vacant: HC
The High Court today said Jatiya Sangsad speaker can dispose application for declaring the seat of independent MP Mohammad Shahid Islam alias Kazi Papul vacant for providing false information to the Election Commission through his affidavit.
The Election Commission has nothing to do to this effect, the court said.
The HC bench of Justice Gobinda Chandra Tagore and Justice Mohammad Ullah said this during hearing a rule that questioned the legality of JS membership of Shahid as he provided false information to the EC through his affidavit.
After holding a brief hearing, the bench adjourned the hearing till February 25.
The bench adjourned the hearing as Salah Uddin Reagan, a lawyer for the writ petitioner Abul Fayez Bhuiyan, a resident of Laxmipur, sought adjournment, saying that his senior lawyer Awsafur Rahman, who will place argument before the HC, is out of Dhaka due to personal difficulties.
Abul Fayez Bhuiyan submitted the application to the Jatiya Sangsad speaker and the EC on July 12, 2020 to declare the seat of Shahid vacant for providing false information to the EC.
During the hearing, lawyers Sayed Ahmed Raza and ABM Siddiqur Rahman Khan prayed to the HC bench to permit them to place arguments before it on behalf of Shahid.
The court instantly did not disclose any decision about their prayer.
Following the writ petition filed by Abul Fayez Bhuiyan, another HC bench on August 18 last year issued the rule asking the respondents to explain why the seat of Shahid, who has been elected as an independent lawmaker from Laxmipur-2 constituency, should not be declared illegal for providing false information to the EC.
Petitioner's lawyer Sheikh Awsafur Rahman earlier told The Daily Star that Shahid has submitted a degree pass certificate to the EC along with affidavit before the last parliamentary election but he said in the affidavit that he passed master's degree.
Shahid did not submit his SSC and HSC certificates to the EC which is fradulent, and therefore, he cannot hold the office of MP, the lawyer said.
On June 6 last year, Kuwait's Criminal Investigation Department arrested Shahid on charges of human trafficking, visa trading, and money laundering.
In January this year, a court in Kuwait sentenced Shahid to four years in prison and fined him 1.97 million Kuwaiti dinars (around Tk 55 crore) in a bribery case.
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