Supporters of Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Ishraque Hossain on Tuesday continued with their protest by locking the gates to Nagar Bhaban for the fifth consecutive day and threatened a tough movement if their demand for the BNP leader鈥檚 swearing-in as Dhaka鈥檚 south mayor was not fulfilled by Wednesday.聽
Former bureaucrat Moshiur Rahman, who is a coordinator of the movement seeking Ishraque鈥檚 swearing-in as the mayor for Dhaka South City Corporation, made the announcement at a demonstration in front of the Nagar Bhaban Tuesday afternoon.
鈥榃e will come to the Nagar Bhaban at 10:00am on Wednesday. If our demand is not met by the time, we will announce a new programme considering the situation,鈥� he warned.
All the unions of employees under the DSCC, including the Poribahan Chalok and Shramik Karmachari Union, the Biddut Karmachari Samajkallayan Samity, and the Class IV Karmachari Samajkollayan Samity expressed their solidarity with the protest and declared that all civic services including cleaning activities and waste transportation would be halted if the demand was not met by 10:00am on聽Wednesday.
The High Court bench of Justice Md Akram Hossain Chowdhury and Justice Debasish Roy Chowdhury on the day set Wednesday for passing an order on a writ petition challenging the legality of a gazette notification declaring Ishraque DSCC mayor.
The court set the date after hearing the petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer Mamunur Rashid, who is a dweller in the DSCC area.聽
The Election Commission issued a gazette notification declaring Ishraque mayor on April 27, one month after the March 27 verdict of the Election Tribunal announcing the BNP leader as the DSCC mayor.
Deputy attorneys general Mahfuzur Rahman and Khan Ziaur Rahman opposed the writ petition, arguing that Mamunur lacked locus standi to file the writ, asserting that only the Election Commission has the legal authority to contest disputes arising from local government elections.
Senior pro-BNP lawyers Mahbub Uddin Khokon and Kayser Kamal argued that the Election Appellate Tribunal was the appropriate authority to hear the appeal against the election tribunal鈥� verdict.
The petitioner鈥檚 counsel, Mohammad Hossain, sought a stay on both the March 27 verdict of the Election Tribunal and the April 27 gazette notification issued by the Election Commission.
In its decision, the Election Tribunal headed by Judge Md Nurul Islam, also joint district judge of Dhaka First Court, had declared Ishraque the elected mayor and directed the EC to publish the gazette within 10 days.
The writ petition also sought a rule from the High Court asking the government and the Election Commission to explain why they should not be restrained from administering the oath of office to Ishraque.
Mohammad Hossain requested the court to explain why the tribunal judge should not face disciplinary action allegedly for delivering a 鈥榝raudulent鈥� verdict without conducting a proper ballot recount or verification.
Advocate Mohammad Hossain alleged that the tribunal bypassed electoral procedure and fundamental legal norms by declaring Ishraque mayor without verifying ballots cast in the DSCC mayoral election held on February 1, 2020.
Ishraque鈥檚 supporters began the protest at the DSCC headquarters on May 14 under the banners of Dhakabashi, DSCC Sramik Karmachari Union, and Biddut Karmachari Samajkallayan Samity.
The protest caused immense suffering to service seekers as the administrative activities of the DSCC remained stalled since May 15.
Services in all 10 zonal offices also remained stalled due to the protest.聽聽
The protesters also blocked roads in front of the Nagar Bhaban and a portion of the Gulistan crossing leading to it from around 10:00am on Tuesday. City dwellers had to suffer immensely due to the blockade.
Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, who took charge as DSCC mayor on May 16, 2020, addressed his first board meeting on June 2, 2020.
According to the Local Government (City Corporation) Act 2009, the election to any city corporation should be held within the last 180 days of its five-year tenure that starts with the first meeting of the board of the corporation.聽聽
Two weeks after the August 5, 2024 fall of the Awami League regime, the interim government on August 19, 2024 dismissed all mayors of the 12 city corporations.