GM Quader cannot act as JaPa chairman for now
The Appellate Division on Wednesday upheld the verdict of a lower court that barred GM Quader from performing his duties as the Chairman of Jatiya Party (JaPa) on Wednesday.
A three-member bench led by Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique passed the order.
The Appellate Division bench also asked Dhaka Joint District Judge’s Court to dispose of the petition by 9 January, 2023, filed by GM Quader against its verdict that prevented him from acting as chief of JaPa, the opposition in parliament.
During the hearing, Sheikh Mohammad Sirajul Islam stood for GM Quader, while Sayed Ahmed Raja represented petitioner Ziaul Haque Mridha.
“The Appellate Division order bars Quader from performing activities as JaPa chief. Now we need to conduct a hearing on the petition filed against him by Mridha,” said Sirajul.
Earlier, on Monday, the Appellate Division fixed 13 December for delivering its judgment on the temporary embargo on the political activities of Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader.
On 30 November, Chamber Judge of the Appellate Division M Enayetur Rahim stayed the High Court order allowing Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader to perform the duties of his post.
On 29 November, HC cleared the way for GM Quader to perform his duties as Jatiya Party Chairman by staying the lower court order till 3 January following a revision petition.
Ziaul Haque Mridha filed the case against GM Quader on 4 October.
Following this, Dhaka Joint District Sessions Judge court-1 issued a temporary embargo on the political activities of GM Quader on 30 October.
On 6 October, several lawyers including Sheikh Sirajul Islam and Kalim Ullah Majumdar stood for GM Quader with a petition to withdraw the ban on his political activities at the court.
In the petition, the lawyers also urged the court to lift the embargo to play his role as chairman as per the constitution of the party that was dismissed by the same court on 16 November.
Later, Quader filed a revision petition with the HC challenging the lower court order.
According to the case statement, the party’s founder HM Ershad died on 14 September, 2019. Quader declared him as chairman of the party through forgery at a council on 28 December, 2019 when a writ petition case was pending at the High Court.
Later, Quader as party chairman fired several leaders including Mashiur Rahman Ranga, Gazipur metropolitan unit’s advisor Ataur Rahman Sarkar and organising secretary Sabur Sikdar, among others, by exercising his power as per the constitution of the party.
Besides, Ranga was also removed from the post of presidium member of the party on 14 September and Advocate Ziaul Haque Mridha from the party on 17 September, it added.
In the case, orders were sought to declare all removals from 28 December, 2019, to 17 September, 2022 and council as illegal while the next council of the party to keep stayed unless the HC writ petition is disposed of.