The High Court on Wednesday deferred until Thursday its order on a writ petition challenging the legality of the gazette notification that declared Ishraque Hossain the mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation.
The writ petition was filed by Supreme Court lawyer and DSCC resident Mamunur Rashid.
A bench comprising Justice Md Akram Hossain Chowdhury and Justice Debasish Roy Chowdhury postponed the pronouncement of its order and resumed the hearing after pro-BNP lawyers Mahbub Uddin Khokon and Kayser Kamal, alongside deputy attorney general Mahfuzur Rahman Milon, opposed the court鈥檚 verbal indication that it was inclined to issue a rule and an order maintaining status quo on the oath-taking.
The court had earlier concluded the hearing on Tuesday and scheduled Wednesday to deliver its decision.
Lawyer Mohammad Hossain, representing the petitioner, argued that the lower court verdict undermined the spirit of the August 5 political changeover, when the interim government suspended elected mayors and appointed administrators, particularly targeting those who were in hiding or fugitive.
Appearing for Ishraque, Mahbub Uddin Khokon submitted that the writ petition was politically motivated, aiming to reinstate the ousted Awami League leadership under the disguise of third-party litigation.
He urged the court to consider public sentiment, referring to protests and road blockades in support of Ishraque鈥檚 mayorship.
Kayser Kamal warned that issuing a rule based on a third-party writ could reinforce public perception that the judiciary had not changed since the controversial events of August 5.
Kayser further submitted that the court should refrain from intervening in highly sensitive political matters.
The courtroom was overcrowded with pro-BNP lawyers.
Ishraque鈥檚 defence team also informed the court that many roads were blocked by his supporters, causing public suffering and hindering the free movement of people.
On March 27, Dhaka鈥檚 First Joint District and Election Tribunal judge Md Nurul Islam declared Ishraque the rightful mayor of DSCC, overturning the results of the 2020 election that named Fazle Noor Taposh as the winner.
Subsequently, the Election Commission issued a gazette notification on April 27 officially declaring Ishraque as mayor.
