HC bars Manna from contesting election over loan default

The High Court has ruled that Mahmudur Rahman Manna, President of Nagorik Oikya, will not be able to contest the upcoming election due to loan default.

BNP withdrew from Bogura-2 constituency on December 24 in favour of Manna, but shortly after his announcement as a coalition candidate, the High Court delivered its verdict, rejecting his writ petition seeking removal of his name from the loan defaulters’ list.

The order was passed by a High Court bench comprising Justice Md Bazlur Rahman and Justice Md Manjur Alam. As a result, he will not be eligible to participate in the upcoming parliamentary election, according to the state counsel.

Senior lawyers Ahsanul Karim and Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua represented Manna in court, while Deputy Attorney General Shafiqul Rahman appeared for the state.

Speaking on the matter, Deputy Attorney General Shafiqul Rahman said Manna had filed a writ petition seeking removal of his name from the Bangladesh Bank loan defaulters’ list, which the court dismissed, making him ineligible to contest the election.

However, Manna’s lawyer Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua said they would appeal against the High Court’s order.

Earlier, on December 10, Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited, Bogura Borgola branch, issued a call-back notice seeking recovery of Tk 38 crore 4 lakh 76 thousand from Afaku Cold Storage Limited, an institution led by Manna. The notice instructed repayment by December 18, warning of legal action in case of failure to pay within the stipulated time.