BGMEA election: HC stays deferral order

The High Court (HC) yesterday stayed for two weeks a government order to the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) to defer its election.

The HC also issued a rule upon the government to explain why the government order should not be declared to have been made unlawfully.

With the order of the HC, there is now no legal bar on holding of the BGMEA election as per its earlier schedule on January 26.

A HC bench comprising Justice MA Aziz and Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury passed the order based on a writ petition filed by the BGMEA on Tuesday last.

The writ petition said that on October 27 last year, the BGMEA board decided to hold the election on January 26 and accordingly, in November 5, the final voter list was finalised. On January 4 this year, the voter list was published. It was decided that the poll result would be announced on February 2.

Stating the facts, the petitioner contended that the government has no right to change the schedule of the election.

The petitioner also said the date was fixed keeping the Hajj in mind and the government had no right to suddenly change the poll schedule.

Meantime, a separate writ was filed by a BGMEA member, Musarraf Hossain, seeking permission to keep the nomination open as the government had deferred the election. The appeal was made last Saturday along with eight nomination applications.

The High Court observed that the order passed in connection with the government order would also be applicable to the writ seeking time extension for nomination filing.

In his reaction, Kutubuddin Ahmed, president of the BGMEA, told The Daily Star that both the panels in the election should work for peaceful holding of the poll.

Talking to The Daily Star, BGMEA Director Anisul Huq said it is not wise to go for mud-slinging over the election and added that his panel would accept whatever verdict the voters give.