The Appellate Division has set June 30 as the date for delivering its verdict on the candidacy of BNP’s Aslam Chowdhury, who unofficially won the Chattogram-4 constituency in the 13th National Parliament election.
A four-judge bench led by the chief justice set the date on Monday after concluding the appeal hearing.
Lawyers Mohammad Shishir Monir and ASM Shahriar Kabir represented the Jamaat-e-Islami candidate Md Anwar Siddique, while lawyers Miftah Uddin Chowdhury and A M Mahbub Uddin Khokon represented Aslam Chowdhury.
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 Md Anwar Siddique filed a leave to appeal against the High Court order.
On 3 February, the Appellate Division granted the leave to appeal challenging the validation 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 unofficially won the election held on 12 February. However, due to the court order, the results have not been published.
The verdict on 30 June will determine the final fate of his candidacy and the constituency’s representation.
