High Court sets July 9 for verdict on candidacy of BNP leader Sarwar Alamgir in Chittagong-2 election dispute

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The High Court has scheduled July 9 for its verdict regarding the legality of the cancellation of BNP candidate Sarwar Alamgir’s nomination for the Chittagong-2 constituency during the 13th parliamentary elections. The date was set on Thursday by a High Court bench comprising Justice Fahmida Quader and Justice Md. Asif Hasan following the conclusion of final arguments.

The dispute stems from the February 12 election, in which Alamgir participated as the BNP candidate. While the balloting proceeded, the announcement of results for the seat remains suspended by order of the Supreme Court pending the resolution of ongoing legal challenges.

Alamgir’s candidacy was originally invalidated by the Election Commission, prompting him to petition the High Court for relief. On January 27, the High Court issued a rule allowing him to participate in the election and receive the party’s “sheaf of paddy” symbol. However, Jamaat-e-Islami candidate Muhammad Nurul Amin subsequently challenged this decision, filing a leave-to-appeal with the Appellate Division on the grounds that Alamgir was a loan defaulter.

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On February 3, the Appellate Division granted the leave-to-appeal, stipulating that should Alamgir be successful in the polls, the publication of the election results for his candidacy would remain frozen until the final disposition of the legal challenge. Following a regular appeal filed on March 31, the Appellate Division issued a directive on June 16 requiring the High Court to settle the matter within two weeks. The court further ordered that the previous stay on the election results would remain in force until the High Court rendered its final judgment.

Legal proceedings moved to the High Court’s cause list on June 21 to facilitate a final hearing on the rule. Throughout the hearings, Senior Advocates Ahsanul Karim, A.M. Mahbub Uddin Khokon, and Nasir Uddin Ahmed Asim represented Alamgir, while Senior Advocate Mohammad Shishir Monir represented the challenger, Muhammad Nurul Amin. The Election Commission was represented by lawyer Md. Raju Mia. Following the conclusion of arguments, counsel for the challenger confirmed that the court is now set to deliver its final ruling on the matter next month.