A writ petition has been filed with the High Court seeking its directive on the Election Commission and the government to stay the process of holding elections to the split Dhaka City Corporations.
Eunus Ali Akond, the Supreme Court lawyer who filed the petition yesterday, also challenged the legality of the local government rules of 2010 and 2011 that had bifurcated the DCC.
The petition claimed that as per the Local Government (City Corporation) Act 2009, the Dhaka City Corporation is a united corporation; but the government had violated the act by splitting it into two.
It also said that as per the City Corporation (Amendment) Rule 2011, mayoral candidates must pay Tk1 lakh as security money for the north city corporation and Tk50,000 for the south. The petition argued that not all citizens had the ability to deposit such large amounts of money, even though the constitution gives every citizen the right to contest in the polls.
“That means the candidate must have at least Tk1 lakh, which is not fair,” Akond said.
Moreover, returning officers of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) issued notices saying every candidate must purchase a CD containing the voter list with Tk18,000 and Tk27,500 respectively, which was also illegal.
The Supreme Court lawyer prayed to the court to issue a rule upon the government and the EC, to explain why the city corporation rules of 2010 and 2011, and the notices from returning officers concerned should not be declared illegal.
He made the law secretary, the secretary to the parliament, the chief election commissioner and returning officers of the DNCC and DSCC respondents to the petition.
