The High Court on Thursday summarily rejected a writ petition that challenged the legality of the Election Commission’s decision to declare BNP-backed candidate Ishraque Hossain as the mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), clearing the way for his swearing-in.
The bench of Justice Md Akram Hossain Chowdhury and Justice Debasish Roy Chowdhury passed the order after completing the hearing on the petition filed by Mamunur Rashid, a resident of the DSCC area.
Barrister AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon, who represented Ishraque in court, told reporters following the verdict that there is now no legal bar for the authorities to administer the oath to Ishraque Hossain. He warned that if they failed to do so, contempt of court proceedings would be initiated.
The legal and political tussle began earlier this year when, on 27 March, Dhaka’s First Joint District Judge and Election Tribunal Judge Md Nurul Islam overturned the results of the 2020 DSCC election.
The tribunal declared Ishraque Hossain—who had previously contested the election as a BNP nominee—as the rightful winner and ordered the Election Commission (EC) to issue a gazette notification within ten days.
Complying with the order, the EC published the official gazette on 27 April, declaring Ishraque as the duly elected mayor of DSCC.
Mamunur Rashid filed a writ petition on 14 May challenging both the tribunal’s ruling and the EC’s gazette. In his petition, he alleged that the tribunal had delivered its verdict hastily and without following proper legal procedures.
He also claimed that the EC acted prematurely by not consulting the Law Ministry before issuing the notification.
Furthermore, he argued that since the DSCC mayoral term had already expired and the post had been vacated by ordinance, the tribunal lacked jurisdiction to declare Ishraque as mayor.
The High Court’s ruling dismissed those objections, reinforcing the tribunal’s authority and the validity of the EC’s notification.
In the weeks following the tribunal’s verdict and the gazette notification, supporters of Ishraque Hossain—including leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its student wing, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD)—have staged continuous protests across Dhaka.
Demonstrations were held in front of the Secretariat, Dhaka South City Corporation office, and the Election Commission headquarters, demanding Ishraque’s immediate swearing-in.
Protesters accused the government of deliberately delaying the process due to political bias and warned of intensified agitation if the mayor-elect was not administered the oath without further delay.
On several occasions, the protests disrupted traffic in key parts of the city, and clashes were reported between demonstrators and law enforcement officers attempting to disperse the gatherings.
BNP leaders, speaking at a protest earlier this week, described the delay as a blatant disregard for democratic norms and vowed to continue their movement until Ishraque formally assumes office.
Ishraque Hossain, son of late BNP leader and former Dhaka mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka, has remained a prominent face of the opposition in the capital. His reinstatement as mayor, after being defeated in the disputed 2020 election, is being viewed by BNP supporters as a rare institutional victory in a political environment where opposition gains have been scarce.
The High Court’s ruling not only removes legal obstacles to his assuming office but also intensifies pressure on the administration to act in accordance with the court’s directive.
With mounting political demonstrations and now judicial clarity, observers expect the Local Government Division to proceed with the oath-taking ceremony—unless further procedural delays are introduced.
As Ishraque’s supporters celebrate the verdict, all eyes now turn to whether the government will swiftly execute the court’s order or face heightened public backlash and potential legal consequences.