‘Law applicable to everyone’

Loan defaulters cannot have legal rights to contest elections, a High Court bench observed yesterday.

Law is equally applicable to everyone, the bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman said while hearing a writ petition.

Mohiuddin Siddique, a member candidate for Sonaigachhi Union Parishad polls in Chattogram's Sitakunda, recently submitted the petition challenging the legality of a decision of the district's election office that cancelled his nomination paper for being a loan defaulter on October 25.

The elections to the union are scheduled to be held on November 11.

During the hearing, Mohiuddin's lawyer Rezaul Hossain Morshed told the HC his client cannot take part in the polls and his constitutional rights are being violated.

The HC told the lawyer that the petitioner could have paid off the loan as he is very keen to run for the polls.

The bench dropped the petition from the cause list, meaning cancellation of his nomination will remain in force.