The Chamber Court of the Appellate Division has extended the stay on the High Court’s order that had suspended the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) election process. The petition filed by Dhaka University authorities is set for hearing today before the regular bench of the Appellate Division.
On Tuesday, Justice Farah Mahbub of the Appellate Division’s Chamber Court issued the order to extend the stay. Dhaka University’s legal counsel, Advocate Mohammad Shishir Monir, confirmed that the High Court’s stay remains in effect and that the appeal has been listed as the first item on Wednesday’s cause list.
Earlier, on Monday, following a primary hearing on a writ petition, the High Court had suspended all activities related to the DUCSU election, including the publication of the final voter list. This effectively stalled the election, which was scheduled for September 9.
In response, Dhaka University authorities filed an urgent petition with the Chamber Court on Monday, seeking to temporarily suspend the High Court’s ruling until a regular civil miscellaneous petition could be filed. The court agreed, allowing the election process to resume. The university authorities formally submitted the civil miscellaneous petition on Tuesday, which was then added to the supplementary cause list for hearing on the same day.
Advocates Mohammad Shishir Monir and Mohammad Saddam Hossain represented Dhaka University in court, while Advocate Jyotirmoy Barua appeared for the writ petitioner.
The initial hearing took place on Monday before a High Court bench comprising Justice Habibul Gani and Justice Sheikh Tashmin Alam. The bench issued a rule suspending all DUCSU election activities, including the final candidate list, until October 30. The rule also questioned the legality of SM Farhad’s candidacy for the General Secretary post, citing an alleged violation of the DUCSU constitution and his suspected affiliation with the banned Chhatra League. The High Court instructed the writ petitioner to submit a formal complaint with evidence to the university’s election tribunal, which has been tasked with investigating the matter and submitting a report by October 21.
