Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Ishraque Hossain on Wednesday joined the protest and demanded that he should be sworn in as Dhaka south mayor.
Addressing the protest on Kakrail Mosque road near Jamuna guest house, the official residence of chief adviser Muhammad Yunus, Ishraque announced that the protest would continue until the demand was met.
He also demanded the resignation of local government, rural development and co-operatives affairs adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain and information and broadcasting affairs adviser Md Mahfuj Alam alleging that the advisers had been working for a newly formed political party.
Ishraque鈥檚 supporters on Wednesday staged demonstrations by locking the gates of Nagar Bhaban and halting the services of the corporation for the sixth consecutive day and blocking major roads at several busy points at Nagar Bhaban, Matsya Bhaban and Kakrail Mosque.
Ishraque, addressing the protest at Kakrail Mosque road, said that his supporters would not leave the streets until meeting their demands.
鈥楾his movement is not about anyone鈥檚 personal ambition to become a mayor. It is about securing the voting rights of all citizens. I am fully committed to this movement and will continue to take part in the programme,鈥� he said.
He said that, after the decision from the court and the Election Commission, it was the responsibility of the local government ministry to administer his oath, not giving opinion.
BNP leader Mokbul Islam Tipu, also a former DSCC ward councilor for the ward number 40, announced that their protest, which began on May 14, would continue with the locking of the gates of Nagar Bhaban and the blocking of roads in the Matsya Bhaban and the Kakrail Mosque areas.
Meanwhile, 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 DSCC mayor.
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 the writ petition, filed by Supreme Court lawyer and DSCC resident Mamunur Rashid, on Tuesday and set Wednesday for pronouncing its decision.
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.
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, referring to protests and road blockades in support of Ishraque鈥檚 mayorship, urged the court to consider public sentiment.
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 events of August 5.
Kayser further submitted that the court should refrain from intervening in highly sensitive political matters.聽
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.
He submitted that the protesters blocked Kakrail Mosque road on Wednesday and planned to continue the protest throughout the night.
Ishraque鈥檚 supporters blocked roads in front of the Nagar Bhaban, Matsya Bhaban and Kakrail Mosque road from around 10:00am on Wednesday. City dwellers had to suffer immensely due to the blockade.
Ishraque and several hundred of his supporters continued their blockade at Kakrail Mosque road until filing the report at 10:45pm.
The protesters cleared the roads in front of the Nagar Bhaban and Matsya Bhaban at about 4:00pm.
The protests 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
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
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.