Contempt of court rule against CEC

The High Court yesterday issued a contempt of court rule against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) ATM Shamsul Huda and five others for declaring a mayoral candidate of Pirojpur municipal polls as elected uncontested ignoring its order.
In the rule, the court asked the CEC and others to explain in two weeks why legal action should not be taken against them for violating its order.
The rule came following a contempt of court petition filed by Nasim Uddin Khan, another mayoral candidate of Pirojpur municipal polls.
On January 2 this year, the HC issued a rule upon the Election Commission (EC) and the government to explain why cancellation of nomination paper of Nasim Uddin Khan should not be declared illegal.
It also directed the EC and the government to allow Nasim to contest the municipality polls by allocating a symbol to him and not to declare anybody elected as mayor uncontested till disposal of the rule.
The EC on January 20 issued a gazette notification declaring mayoral candidate Md Habibur Rahman Malek elected as mayor uncontested, violating the HC order, said Sheikh Atiar Rahman, counsel for the petitioner, said.
Nasim Uddin Khan on October 10 filed the contempt of court petition against six persons, including the CEC for issuing the notification.
The rule was also issued against Abu Hena Md Rahmatul Munim, divisional commissioner of Barisal; Ruhul Amin, deputy commissioner of Pirojpur; SK Md Moniruzzaman, additional deputy commissioner (general) of Pirojpur; and Tarafder Sohail Rahman, deputy director of local government of Pirojpur, and mayoral candidate Habibur Rahman Malek.