SC bins writ challenging presidential election process

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday dismissed the writ challenging the process of electing Mohammed Shahabuddin as the next president of Bangladesh. At the same time, the court fined the petitioner MA Aziz Khan Tk1 lakh for wasting the court's time.

A full bench of the Appellate Division led by Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique passed the order by rejecting the writ petition against the dismissal order of the High Court. On March 7, Supreme Court lawyer MA Aziz Khan filed the writ petition with the concerned branch of the High Court.

However, when the High Court bench refused to hear the writ, it was forwarded to the chief justice for a decision. Later, the chief justice fixed the hearing in the court of Justice Md Khasruzzaman and Justice Md Iqbal Kabir.

On March 15, the High Court bench ruled that the process of electing Md Shahabuddin as the 22nd president of Bangladesh was valid, dismissing the petition. On March 21, the appeal petition was filed against the HC order that rejected the writ petition.

Mohammed Shahabuddin, a retired judge and former commissioner of the ACC, was elected as the country's 22nd president. On February 13, a gazette was issued declaring him elected as president of Bangladesh under Section 7 of the Presidential Election Act, 1991. President Mohammed Shahabuddin succeeded Md Abdul Hamid after his term expires on April 23.

Read More