
The High Court on Thursday cleared the way for Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Ishraque Hossain to take oath as mayor of the Dhaka South City Corporation, rejecting a writ petition that challenged the legality of his appointment.
A bench of Justice Md Akram Hossain Chowdhury and Justice Debasish Roy Chowdhury delivered the verdict, summarily rejecting a public interest litigation petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer and DSCC resident Mamunur Rashid.
The court observed, ‘However, the days elapsed by this time, in the process of legal proceeding as proceeded is condoned in filing any appeal by any contending party of the election tribunal case in question.’Â
The court observed that the Mamun had no right to file the writ petition as he was not contesting candidate in the 2020 election to DSCC.
Mamunur Rashid’s lawyer, Mohammad Hossain, told ¶¶Òõ¾«Æ· that his client intends to appeal against the High Court’s decision.
The Election Commission issued a gazette on April 27 formally declaring Ishraque mayor—one month after the Election Tribunal on March 27 announced the BNP leader’s victory in the DSCC mayoral race.
During the hearing, petitioner’s counsel argued that the lower court’s verdict contradicted the spirit of the August 5, 2024 political transition, when the then-interim government suspended elected mayors and appointed administrators, particularly targeting individuals in hiding or with pending cases.
On Wednesday, the High Court had deferred its order on the writ petition until Thursday, when it ultimately paved the way for Ishraque’s oath-taking.