The Chamber Judge of the Supreme Court's Appellate Division has stayed a High Court verdict that declared the Election Commission’s (EC) gazette on the redrawing of the Comilla-2 constituency boundaries illegal.
Following a hearing on an appeal against the High Court order, the Chamber Judge Court, headed by Appellate Division Justice Md Rezaul Haque, issued the stay on Sunday.
Advocate Kamal Hossain Miazi represented the Election Commission during the hearing.
Earlier, Najim Uddin Alam, the Jamaat-nominated candidate for the Comilla-2 constituency, had filed a writ petition challenging the legality of the change to the constituency’s boundaries.
On January 8, the High Court declared the EC’s gazette altering the boundaries of the Comilla-2 constituency illegal. At the same time, the court ordered that the constituency be restored to its previous boundaries and directed the Election Commission to publish a fresh gazette within 24 hours. The verdict was delivered by a High Court bench led by Justice Md Mojibur Rahman Mia, after disposing of the rule.
Senior lawyers Barrister Ehsan Abdullah Siddiqui and Barrister Saiful Islam Uzzal appeared in court on behalf of the writ petitioner.
Subsequently, the Election Commission filed an appeal with the Appellate Division challenging the High Court’s ruling that declared the gazette on the boundary changes illegal.
Earlier, on September 24 last year, ahead of the 13th National Parliamentary Election, the High Court issued a rule asking why the change to the Comilla-2 constituency boundaries should not be declared unlawful. The rule was issued by a High Court bench comprising Justice Md Mojibur Rahman Mia and Justice Bishwajit Debnath.
