HC stays SUCSU election for four weeks

The High Court has stayed the election of the Shahjalal University Central Students’ Union SUCSU and hall unions for four weeks, just a day before voting was scheduled to take place.

The election was set to be held on January 20. However, on Monday, January 19, a High Court bench comprising Justice Fahmida Kader and Justice Md Asif Hasan issued the stay order.

Earlier on Sunday, January 18, independent candidate Mominur Rashid Shuvo filed a writ petition with the relevant High Court wing seeking a stay on the SUCSU election. The petition named the chief election commissioner and others concerned as respondents.

According to the writ, the Election Commission had issued directives suspending all types of elections ahead of the national parliamentary election. In that context, allowing the SUCSU election to proceed would be unlawful, as the polls were scheduled for January 20.

Meanwhile, the university authorities had announced an extension of the campaign period for candidates contesting the SUCSU and hall union elections. In a notice issued on Sunday, it was stated that candidates’ campaigns had been disrupted after the Election Commission suspended all elections nationwide on January 12.

The notice said the Election Commission later granted permission on January 15 to hold the SUCSU election on January 20, 2026. To facilitate campaigning, the deadline for electioneering was extended by 12 hours, allowing candidates to campaign until 9pm on January 18.