Staff Reporter :
BNP leader Abdul Awal Mintoo on Sunday filed a writ petition with the High Court (HC), challenging the cancellation of his nomination as a Mayor candidate for the upcoming election of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC).
Barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokon moved the writ with the concerned section of the HC on behalf of Mintoo. “We have filed a writ with the HC, challenging the Election Commission’s (EC) decision regarding the candidature of Mintoo,” Advocate AKM Ahsanur Rahman, the other counsel of Mintoo, told the journalists.
In the petition, Mintoo, the adviser of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, prayed for a rule from HC, declaring the cancellation of his nomination ‘illegal’, he said. Mintoo sought the HC’s directive allowing him to take part in the election, the counsel said, adding, the HC may hear the petition today (Monday).
The Chief Election Commissioner, the Returning Officer of DNCC, the Divisional Commissioner (DC) of Dhaka and the LGRD Secretary were made respondent in the petition.
The Returning Officer of DNCC rejected Mintoo’s nomination on April 1, saying that Abdur Razzak, who seconded Mintoo in the nomination paper, was not a voter of the DNCC area.
Mintoo filed appeal with the DC of Dhaka, the Appellate Authority for the Dhaka City Corporation elections, against the Returning Officer’s decision but the DC of Dhaka Zillar Rahman also upheld his cancellation after a hearing on April 4.
Abdur Razzak is the resident of Uttara Sector 13, but the EC said that area does not fall under the DNCC, Barrister Khokon said.
“Sector-13 of Uttara falls under DSCC area. The people of that area pay their taxes to the DNCC. Razzak’s name was not in the voter list, it is EC’s mistake,” he said.
Blaming the Returning Officer for not going through the law, Khokon said, “We have produced evidences and documents (before the Appellate Authority) in this regard, but they did not consider our plea.” He also expressed the hope that they would get justice in the HC.
