Staff Reporter :
The High Court on Sunday cleared the way to continue the election process of the Board of Directors of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI).
The court discharged a ruling that was issued earlier questioning the inaction of the authorities to postpone the election process of the Board of Directors of the FBCCI in the midst of lockdown and coronavirus surge situation.
The High Court bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim
and Justice Sardar Md Rashed Jahangir passed the order following a petition filed by the election board of the FBCCI seeking discharge of the ruling. Advocate Shah Monjurul Hoque and Advocate Imtiaz Mainul Islam appeared in the court on behalf of the FBCCI, while Barrister Shanjid Siddique represented the writ petitioner.
Later Advocate Shah Monjurl Hoque said, “The 80 directors of the FBCCI have already been elected unopposed since there were not more candidates than the posts. So the health ground of the writ petition is not sustaining now as there is no need to cast vote in the election. Considering the issue the court has discharged the ruling.”
There is no legal bar for the election board of FBCCI to continue the election process following the High Court order, he said.
Following a writ petition the High Court on April 20 this year issued a ruling regarding the adjournment of the election of the Board of Directors of the FBCCI.
In the ruling the High Court wanted to know form the respondents in four weeks as to why the inaction of the authorities including the DTO (director, trade organization, ministry of commerce) to postpone the election of the Board of Directors of the FBCCI in the midst of lockdown and coronavirus surge situation should not be declared illegal.
It also wanted to know in the ruling as to why the memo dated April 7, 2021, of the commerce ministry allowing the election to continue should not be declared illegal.
The court also directed the DTO to dispose of the representation submitted on April 14 this year to postpone the election within seven days.
Md Amir Uddin Bipu, Proprietor of H B Enterprise and a member of the general body of the FBCCI, filed the writ petition demanding the postponement of the election in the midst of lockdown and coronavirus surge situation. The new Board of Directors of the FBCCI will will run the organization for two years term of 2021-2022 and 2022-2023.
