The Appellate Division has cancelled the candidacy of BNP’s Aslam Chowdhury, who was unofficially declared the winner in Chattogram‑4 during the 13th national election.
The Appellate Division, headed by the Chief Justice, delivered the verdict on Tuesday.
Following the judgement, Aslam Chowdhury’s result cannot be published, and he will not be able to take oath.
Lawyers Mohammad Shishir Monir and ASM Shahriar Kabir represented Jamaat‑e‑Islami candidate Md Anwar Siddique, while lawyers Miftah Uddin Chowdhury and AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon represented Aslam Chowdhury.
Earlier, on 15 June, a four‑member bench of the Appellate Division led by the Chief Justice had set 30 June (Tuesday) as the date for announcing the verdict, following the conclusion of arguments.
On 18 January, the Election Commission declared Aslam Chowdhury’s nomination paper valid despite allegations that he was a loan defaulter. A bank authority challenged the EC’s decision through a writ petition, but the High Court dismissed it. The bank authority subsequently appealed to the Appellate Division.
Additionally, Jamaat candidate Anwar filed a leave to appeal against the High Court order.
On 3 February, the Appellate Division granted the leave to appeal challenging the validity of Aslam Chowdhury’s candidacy, allowing him to contest the election. However, the court ordered that the results for that seat remain stayed until the appeal was disposed of.
Aslam Chowdhury was unofficially declared the winner in the election held on 12 February. However, due to the court order, the results have not been published.
