Khaleda cannot contest polls: HC

The High Court has rejected three writ petitions filed challenging the cancellation of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia’s candidature in three constituencies to contest the upcoming general election.

The one-member bench of justice JBM Hassan handed down the verdict on Tuesday.

Deputy attorney general Motahar Hossain Saju, who represented the state, said the verdict means Khaleda cannot contest the 11th parliamentary polls.

In the morning, Khaleda’s counsels expressed ‘no-confidence’ in the single-judge bench. The court rejected this appeal.

When the BNP chief’s counsels sought time to go to the Appellate Division, the court rejected that as well.

On December 12, chief justice Syed Mahmud Hossain formed the one-member bench to hear the petition over BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia’s candidature in all the three constituencies as the bench of justice Syed Refaat Ahmed and justice Md Iqbal Kabir issued a split order on December 11, according to a UNB report.

Senior justice Syed Refaat Ahmed stayed the EC’s decision and accepted Khaleda’s appeal while justice Md Iqbal Kabir upheld the decision.

Later, the appeal was sent to the chief justice as per rules to form a new bench.

Kaisar Kamal filed the appeal for Feni-1 while Nowshad Jamir for Bogura-6 and Masud Ahmed Talukder for Bogura-7.

Khaleda’s nominations for Feni-1, Bogura-6 and 7 constituencies were rejected by returning officers. The Election Commission also upheld the decisions of the returning officers, prompting the former prime minister to move the High Court.

Khaleda was jailed for five years on February 8 last in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case. Her jail term was doubled by the High Court on October 30.

A day before that, she was sentenced to seven-year imprisonment by a special court in the Zia Charitable Trust corruption case.