Staff Reporter :
Shammi Ahmed, Awami League nominee from Barishal-4 Constituency, cannot contest the January 7 Parliamentary Election. The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has dismissed a leave to appeal petition filed by Shammi to restore her candidacy.
A six-member Bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan passed the order after hearing her petition on Tuesday.
Lawyer Shah Monjurul Hoque appeared in the court hearing on behalf of Shammi.
Earlier, her candidacy was rejected by Returning Officer, Election Commission and High Court on the ground that she has dual citizenship.
The same destiny has to be accepted by Serniabat Sadiq Abdullah, an independent candidate from Barishal-5 Constituency. The apex court on Tuesday upheld its Chamber Judge’s order that on December 19 stayed for eight weeks a High Court order asking the EC to allow Sadiq Abdullah to contest the election.
Lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan appeared in the court proceedings on behalf of Sadiq Abdullah, while lawyer Ahsanul Karim represented Zaheed Farooque, AL candidate from the same constituency who challenge the candidacy of Sadiq Abdullah.
Returning Officer declared the nomination submitted by Sadiq Abdullah valid. However, Zaheed Farooque appealed to the EC to cancel the nomination of Sadiq Abdullah, alleging that he had dual citizenship and concealed information of assets in the affidavit.
Upon hearing on the appeal, the EC cancelled Sadiq Abdullah’s candidacy. Later on following a writ, the HC asked the EC to allow Sadiq Abdullah to contest the election. However, Zaheed Farroque filed a petition challenging the HC order.
Meanwhile, the apex court has stayed a High Court order that earlier asked the EC to accept the nomination paper submitted by Mohammad Hasibur Rahman, an independent candidate from Dhaka-7 Constituency. Now he has been knocked out from the polling field following the SC order.
His nomination was cancelled by the RO on December 4 as he is a loan defaulter. The EC upheld the decision. Then he moved the HC and an HC Bench rejected his writ. However, concealing that information he filed another writ with another HC Bench which on December 20 asked the EC to allow his candidacy. Later a rival candidate of the Dhaka-7 Constituency filed a petition with the apex court against the HC order.
The apex court upheld the candidacy of Enamul Haque Babul, the ruling Awami League’s candidate from Jashore-4, Alam Ahmed, an independent candidate from Gazipur-4, and Sheikh Akram Hossain, an independent candidate from Khulna-5. The Appellate Division Bench upheld its Chamber Judge’s orders that on December 19 asked the EC to allow these three candidates to contest the national polls.
The apex court has deferred the hearing on a petition filed by A K Azad, an independent candidate from Faridpur-3 Constituency, to cancel the candidacy of AL candidate Shamim Haque. The apex court deferred the hearing following a time prayer placed by the lawyers of A K Azad.
A K Azad on December 21 filed the petition seeking cancellation of Chamber Judge’s order that allowed Awami League candidate Shamim Haque to contest the January 7 national election.
