The Supreme Court yesterday stayed a High Court order for six weeks that had directed the returning officer of Chhengarchar municipality in Chandpur to accept nomination paper of a BNP nominated mayoral candidate.
The Appellate Division decision paved way for the Awami League candidate Rafiqul Alam to be declared as the mayor by issuing publish gazette notification as there is no other candidates to contest him.
A vacation chamber judge of Justice Muhammad Imman Ali passed the order after hearing an appeal filed by Rafiqul Alam challenging the High Court order.
On December 13, a High Court bench had directed the returning officer in Chandpur to accept the nomination paper of BNP-backed candidate Sarwarul Abedin. His nomination papers were not accepted by the returning officer on the grounds that there was a contradictory statement about his educational qualification.
Rafiqul’s lawyer Motahar Hossain Sazu said that now there would be no bar to publish the gazette notification, declaring the AL candidate as the municipal mayor following the order.
