The High Court has dismissed a petition challenging the Election Commission’s gazette that declared BNP leader Ishraque Hossain as the mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and sought to halt his swearing-in. This decision clears the way for Ishraque to assume the mayoral position, according to his lawyer, Mahbub Uddin Khokon.
The bench, comprising Justice Md Akram Hossain Chowdhury and Justice Debasish Roy Choudhury, delivered the ruling on Thursday after hearing arguments earlier in the week. The verdict follows a week of protests by Ishraque’s supporters, demanding his formal induction as DSCC mayor.
In the 2020 DSCC election held on February 1, Ishraque was defeated by Awami League’s Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh by nearly 200,000 votes. However, on March 27 of this year, Judge Md Nurul Islam of the Dhaka Election Tribunal overturned the 2020 election results, declaring Ishraque the rightful mayor. Subsequently, the Election Commission issued a gazette on April 27 confirming Ishraque’s position, though he has yet to be sworn in.
On May 14, Supreme Court lawyer and DSCC resident Md Mamunur Rashid filed a writ petition to prevent Ishraque’s swearing-in. Meanwhile, Ishraque’s supporters have effectively brought activities at Nagar Bhaban to a standstill for over a week, demanding his immediate assumption of mayoral duties. During the High Court proceedings on Wednesday, protests continued in the capital’s Kakrail and Matsya Bhaban areas.
In response to the pro-Ishraque demonstrations, the National Citizens Party (NCP) held a rally outside the Election Bhaban, calling for the reconstitution of the Election Commission and new local government elections. They accused the commission of partiality in issuing the gazette in favor of Ishraque. The Election Commission dismissed these allegations, stating that the NCP’s claims are “politically motivated” and emphasizing that there is no precedent for the EC being involved in an electoral tribunal’s verdict.
