Spurned aspirants go for legal battle

Aggrieved aspirants on Tuesday continued to seek legal remedies against the cancellation of their nomination papers for the December 30 general election.
Some of them opted to go to the High Court while 234 appealed to the Election Commission on Tuesday against the rejection of the nomination papers as the deadline for filing such appeals would expire on Wednesday.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party standing committee member Mirza Abbas filed a writ petition with the High Court on Tuesday challenging the returning officers refusal to receive his nomination papers for Dhaka 9 constituency officer ‘no reason.’
The bench of Justice FRM Nazmul Ahasan and Justice KM Kamrul Kader asked the Election Commission to receive MIrza Abbas’ nomination papers and send those to the returning officer for security.
The court also asked the commission to explain the legality of the refusal to receive Abbas’ nomination papers on November 28.
The election officials, however, accepted nomination papers of Abbas for Dhaka 8 constituency and validated his candidature.
Earlier in the day, the Appellate Division judge in chamber posted for today a full court hearing on a government appeal for staying a High Court order that had asked the returning officer of Rangpur to receive the nomination papers of BNP candidate Golam Rabbani for Rangpur 5.
On Monday, the High Court passed the order asking the commission and the returning officer to explain in four weeks the legality of the latter’s refusal to receive Golam Rabbani’s nomination papers.
At least 234 aggrieved aspirants appealed to the commission on Tuesday taking to 314 the number of appeals filed against the decision the returning officers made during Sunday’s scrutiny.
On Monday 84 appeals were filed with the commission.
The appeal filed on Tuesday by 68 candidates of Dhaka division, 56 of Chattogram, 21 of Rajshahi, 28 of Rangpur, 18 of Khulna and 15 of Sylhet divisions, commission officials said.
Removed Jatiya Party secretary general ABM Ruhul Amin Howlader for Patuakhali 1, Jatiya Party candidate film actor Masud Parvez for Barishal 2, BNP candidates Ruhul Quddus Talukdar Dulu for Natore 2 and Sabira Sultana for Jashore 2, independent candidate Imran H Sarkar for Kurigram 4 and BNP leader Mir Mohammad Nasir Uddin’s son Mir Mohammad Helaluddin for Chattogram 5, were among Tuesday’s appellants.
After filing appeal, Ruhul Quddus told reporters that many ruling Awami League leaders were contesting the polls with conviction.
He said that his and most of his party aspirants’ nomination papers were rejected following the government’s instruction.
Election commissioner Mahbub Talukder on Tuesday said the commission would neutrally dispose of appeals filed against the decisions of the returning officers.
‘The appeals will be disposed of in legal and neutral ways,’ he said while visiting booths set up at the commission headquarters in Dhaka to receive appeals.
Asked if the commission would ensure justice in disposal of the appeals, he said that the justice was a relative matter, but the commission would dispose of the appeals hearing all parties to the appeals.
Mahbub said that he just went there to visit the booths to know whether the petitioners faced troubles in filing appeals.
The commission on the day set up eight booths for registering appeals from eight divisions.
The commission on Monday started receiving appeals. The deadline for filing the appeals would expire today.
The commission will hear and dispose of the petitions in December 6-8.
The quasi-judicial body has already set up the hearing rooms at the Nirbachan Bhaban.
If anyone is aggrieved with the commission decision, the person may go to the High Court for remedies.
The returning officers on Sunday accepted 2,279 nomination papers and cancelled 786 others for the 11th parliamentary polls.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net