Jamaat candidate appeals High Court ruling upholding BNP nominee’s candidacy

Jamaat-e-Islami candidate Muhammad Nurul Amin has moved to challenge a High Court ruling that upheld the candidacy of BNP nominee Sarwar Alamgir in the Chattogram-2 constituency in the 13th parliamentary election.

Nurul Amin on Wednesday (August 12) sought leave to appeal against the High Court verdict, asking the Appellate Division to suspend its operation. His lawyer, Azim Uddin Patwari, said the application also seeks an injunction preventing Alamgir from attending parliamentary sessions until the case is finally resolved.

The High Court on July 9, comprising Justice Fahmida Quader and Md Asif Hasan, declared Alamgir’s nomination valid. He took oath as a member of parliament the same day.

The dispute dates back to Nurul Amin’s challenge to Alamgir’s nomination on grounds of loan default. The Election Commission initially rejected Alamgir’s candidacy on Jan. 18. Alamgir then moved the High Court, which suspended the commission’s decision on Jan. 27 and allowed him to contest the election.

The Appellate Division later allowed Nurul Amin’s leave-to-appeal petition but ordered Alamgir’s election result to remain suspended pending disposal of the case. Alamgir subsequently won the Feb. 12 election in Chattogram-2, but his result was withheld under the court order.

After further proceedings, the Appellate Division directed the High Court to dispose of the matter expeditiously. The High Court ultimately upheld Alamgir’s candidacy on July 9.

Nurul Amin has now taken the dispute back to the country’s highest court, leaving Alamgir’s parliamentary position under renewed legal challenge.