Independent mayoral candidate Faruk Ahmed, who had been defeated in the 2021 Zakiganj Municipal election in Sylhet, was declared the winner by a court verdict two and a half years after the polls.
Sylhet Joint District and Sessions Judge 1st Court and Election Tribunal Judge Md Arifuzzaman delivered the verdict on Thursday, Faruk Ahmed’s lawyer Ali Mortuja Kibria said.
According to case details, Faruk Ahmed was declared defeated by Returning Officer Shadman Sakib by a margin of just two votes in the municipal election held on January 30, 2021.
Independent mayoral candidate Abdul Ahad's valid votes were counted at 2,083, while Faruk Ahmed’s valid votes were counted at 2,081.
As a result, Abdul Ahad, who contested under “Coconut Tree” symbol, was declared the winner.
Not agreeing with the result, Faruk Ahmed who contested under the “Jug” symbol instantly raised allegations of vote manipulation. He submitted a written complaint to the returning officer.
In the same year, he filed a writ petition in the High Court seeking to halt the official declaration. However, the declaration was published before the court's decision.
When the election tribunal was formed, Faruk Ahmed filed a case at the Sylhet Joint District and Sessions Judge 1st Court and election tribunal seeking a recount of ballot papers from five voting centres.
Upon completion of the hearing and taking evidence from both the complainant and defendant, the court directed a recount of votes.
The recount showed Faruk Ahmed with 2,071 votes under the Jug symbol and Abdul Ahad with 2,067 votes under the Coconut Tree symbol.
Thus, Faruk Ahmed secured four more votes than his opponent.
The final verdict was announced last Thursday evening by the judge, after presenting arguments from both sides.
Senior lawyers Golam Rabbani Chowdhury and Ali Mortuja Kibria represented the complainant, Faruk Ahmed.
The defendant, Abdul Ahad, was represented by senior lawyer Shamsul Haque.
Expressing his satisfaction over the court's judgement, Faruk Ahmed's lawyer Ali Mortuja Kibria said that they received fair justice.
Faruk Ahmed said that the verdict proved the court is the last hope for people.
He expressed his gratitude towards his lawyers.
On the other hand, Zakiganj Municipal Mayor Abdul Ahad said he had not received the court’s verdict yet.
“I will collect a copy of the court's decision next Sunday and then decide the next steps,” he added.
His lawyer Shamsul Haque said: "I am not aware of the verdict. If the decision goes against Abdul Ahad, we will discuss with him about the next steps.”
“If necessary, Abdul Ahad will go to the High Court," he added.
