HC issues split order on Khaleda’s candidature

BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia. Prothom Alo File Photo
BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia. Prothom Alo File Photo

The High Court on Tuesday delivered a split order on BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia's candidature in all the three constituencies she submitted nomination papers to contest the 30 December election, reports UNB.

The bench of justice Syed Refaat Ahmed and justice Md Iqbal Kabir came up with the spilt order.

Her nominations for Feni-1, Bogura-6 and 7 constituencies have been rejected by returning officers. The election commission also upheld the decisions, prompting the former prime minister to move to the High Court on Monday.

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

On Monday, the bench fixed Tuesday for delivering a verdict on the matter after hearing the petition.

As per rules, now the petition will be sent to the chief justice and he will form a new bench to settle the issue, said a lawyer of Khaleda Zia.

According to the rules, a convict, who served two or more years in jail in a criminal case, must wait for five years after serving the sentence before she or he can contest elections again.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party chief Khaleda was jailed for five years on 8 February this year in Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case.
Her jail term was doubled by the High Court on 30 October. A day before that, she was sentenced to seven-year imprisonment by a special court in the Zia Charitable Trust corruption case.

The former prime minister had filed nominations for contesting three seats. But election officials declared her ineligible for polls on 2 December since she had been convicted in the two graft cases.

Khaleda's lawyers moved the election commission on Wednesday. Lawyer Kaisar Kamal filed appeal for Feni-1, while lawyer Nowshad Jamin for Bogura-6 and lawyer Masud Ahmed Talukder for Bogura-7.

On Saturday, the commission upheld the returning officers' decision.