The High Court yesterday allowed the BNP candidate, Kawsar Zaman Babla, to contest Rangpur City Corporation mayor election scheduled for December 21. The HC bench, comprising Justice Salma Masud Chowdhury and Justice AKM Zahirul Hoque, dropped from its cause list a writ petition filed by the Sonali Bank, challenging the legality of BNP vice president Kawsar Zaman Babla’s candidacy for the Rangpur mayoral polls.

Barrister Badruddoza Badol, counsel for Babla, told reporters that there was no legal bar for his client to contest the election following the HC order. In response to a query on whether the HC bench would hear the matter at a later date, Badol said there would be no time for any hearing later, as the High Court would go on vacation from December 15 and reopen next year, while the election was only six days away, he added.

Earlier, on November 12, the Sonali Bank had filed the writ petition with the HC seeking its order to suspend his candidature on charge of loan default amount to Tk 42 crores.

On November 26, the returning officer of Rangpur accepted Babla’s candidacy and allowed him to contest the mayor election.

The Sonali Bank, on the same day, submitted a petition to the returning officer to cancel his candidature on the charge of the loan default but their plea was rejected.

The bank, then, appealed to the divisional commissioner of Rangpur, challenging the returning officer’s decision but the official also rejected their appeal on November 30 and allowed him to contest the election.

The Sonali Bank had then filed the writ petition with the HC challenging the legality of divisional commissioner’s order.

The returning officer in Rangapur had on November 26 confirmed the nominations of Babla and six others for the Rangpur mayoral election.