Writ dismissed: No legal hurdles for Ishraque’s swearing-in as mayor

The High Court has dismissed a writ petition that sought to prevent BNP leader Ishrak Hossain from taking the oath as the Mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC).

On Thursday, May 22, a High Court bench led by Justice Md. Akram Hossain Chowdhury and Justice Debashish Roy Chowdhury issued the ruling. The decision clears the way for Ishrak Hossain to take the oath without any legal hindrance, confirmed his lawyers.

Earlier, the hearing began on Tuesday (May 20) at 1 PM and continued for two hours before being adjourned. It resumed later from 4 PM to 5:15 PM the same day. Initially, the hearing and order were scheduled for Wednesday at 12:30 PM, but were postponed to Thursday morning.

The writ petition, filed by Md. Mamunur Rashid through lawyer Kazi Akbar Ali, seeks to stay the Election Tribunal’s verdict declaring Ishraque as mayor, and instruct the authorities not to administer the oath. It also calls for disciplinary action against the tribunal judge who delivered the verdict in Ishraque’s favor.

The case has drawn wide political and legal attention as it challenges the legitimacy of a mayoral declaration amid ongoing political uncertainty and public protest by Ishraque's supporters.