The Appellate Division has paved the way for two BNP candidates to contest the upcoming elections in the Dhaka-11 and Bogura-1 constituencies.
A bench of the Appellate Division, led by Chief Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury, issued the order on Tuesday regarding the petitions.
BNP candidates’ lawyers confirmed that there are no further legal obstacles for the aspirants to participate in the election on Thursday.
The candidature of BNP nominee MA Quayum was challenged by NCP candidate Nahid Islam, who filed a writ petition on 2 February seeking cancellation of his nomination for Dhaka-11.
Nahid alleged that Quayum had concealed information regarding his dual citizenship, claiming a citizen of Vanuatu.
Following a hearing on 3 February, the High Court summarily rejected the petition.
Subsequently, Nahid filed a leave to appeal against the High Court’s decision with the relevant branch of the Appellate Division.
In Bogura-1, the nomination of BNP candidate Kazi Rafiqul Islam was initially declared valid by the returning officer.
His candidature was later challenged at the Election Commission by Ahsanul Tayyab Zakir, a BNP nomination seeker, and the concerned bank authorities on allegations of loan default.
However, both parties eventually withdrew their appeals. Following this, Shahabuddin, a Jamaat-e-Islami candidate, filed a petition challenging validity of Kazi Rafiqul’s nomination papers.
After the High Court dismissed the challenge, Shahabuddin filed a leave to appeal against the order.
