The Supreme Court has cleared the way for holding the polls to the executive posts of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) on October 23 as per schedule.
Justice Obaidul Hassan, chamber judge of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, issued the order on Sunday (October 10), staying a High Court order that halted the elections following a writ petition.
The apex court judge delivered the order after holding a hearing on the petition filed by journalist Dip Azad, head of news of Nagorik TV and a candidate for the post of secretary general of BFUJ. He submitted the petition on October 6 through his lawyer ABM Noor-A-Alam Uzzal.
Noor-A-Alam Uzzal told the media that there is no legal bar for holding the BFUJ elections on October 23 following the SC chamber judge’s order.
Justice Obaidul Hassan, however, asked the writ petitioner to move his prayer to the labour court for necessary directives.
Attorney General AM Amin Uddin and Additional Attorney General Sk Md Morshed also appeared for Dip Azad during the virtual hearing of the stay petition.
Earlier on September 28, the HC bench of Justice Md Mozibur Rahman Miah and Justice Md Kamrul Hossain Mollah postponed the elections for two months following the writ petition which was filed on charge of irregularities in the voter list.
Mohammad Hasan Ferdous, former general secretary of Chattogram Union of Journalists (CUJ), filed the writ petition challenging the legality of the voter list prepared for the BFUJ elections in 2021. He sought the court’s directives to include his name in the voters’ list and also to postpone the polls.
At that same time, the court also issued a ruling asking authorities concerned to explain why Ferdous's name should not be included in the list.
The list of candidates contesting for various posts of BFUJ elections was released on September 25.
Read more: SC clears way for holding BFUJ polls on Oct 23
Thirty-four nomination papers were submitted for the elections. Later, the Election Commission published a draft list of 33 candidates and cancelled one nomination paper.
