Khaleda’s polls bid: One judge in favor, another opposes

Arafat Hasan of DOT : The senior judge of a two-member High Court bench ruled in favor yesterday of BNP chief Khaleda Zia’s participation in the upcoming elections while the junior judge disagreed with him.
Following the dissenting order on three writ petitions filed by Khaleda, the High Court judges will now send all the three appeals and the judges’ orders to the chief justice who will assign another High Court bench for final hearing and disposal of the petitions.
Khaleda filed the writ petitions challenging the Election Commission’s decisions upholding the returning officers’ cancellation of her all three nomination papers Bogura-6, 7 and Feni-1.
Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, the senior judge of the bench, directed the EC to accept the nomination papers of Khaleda and allow her to contest the December 30 general elections.
The judge also issued a rule asking the EC to explain why its decision on the nomination papers of Khaleda Zia should not be declared illegal.
Meanwhile, Justice Md Iqbal Kabir, the junior judge of the bench, disagreed with the senior judges’ order, reported The Daily Star.