Hearing on appeal regarding Aslam Chowdhury’s candidacy scheduled for June 9

PNN News Desk: Dhaka

The Appellate Division has set June 9 as the date for hearing separate appeals regarding the validity of BNP candidate Aslam Chowdhury’s candidacy in the Chattogram-4 constituency.

At the same time, the court ordered that his application regarding the publication of election results in the official gazette and oath-taking remain on record for now.

The order was issued on Thursday by a five-member bench of the Appellate Division led by Chief Justice Juber Rahman Chowdhury.

Earlier, his nomination was canceled on allegations of loan default, but the Election Commission later declared his candidacy valid on January 18 after an appeal.

A bank authority later filed a writ petition in the High Court challenging that decision, but the High Court dismissed the petition. An appeal was then filed in the Appellate Division.

Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami candidate Anwar Siddique also filed a leave to appeal challenging the High Court’s order upholding Aslam Chowdhury’s candidacy. On February 3, the Appellate Division granted that leave.

However, the court ordered that publication of election results and issuance of the gazette remain suspended until the appeal is resolved. Aslam Chowdhury later filed a separate petition seeking permission for result publication and oath-taking.

Senior lawyer Mohammad Shishir Monir appeared for the appellants during the hearing. Lawyers Nihad Kabir and Mostafizur Rahman Khan represented Aslam Chowdhury, along with lawyer Rokon Uddin Md. Faruk.