The High Court (HC) yesterday stayed the candidature of three more BNP candidates as the government has not accepted their resignations as upazila chairmen in their respective areas. The candidates are: Monjur Elahi (Narsingdi-3), Faruk Ahmed Kabir (Gaibandha-4) and Abdul Aziz (Natore-4).

The vacation bench of the HC, comprising Justice JBM Hassan and Justice Md Khairul Alam, came up with the order after hearing separate writ petitions filed by Awami League (AL) candidates Jahirul Haque Bhuiyan Mohon, Monowar Hossain and Abdul Kuddus.

The AL leaders in their petition challenged the Election Commission’s (EC’s) decision to allow the BNP leaders to contest the next polls.

The HC also issued a rule asking the EC and the government to explain why the EC’s decision allowing the BNP leaders to contest the 11th parliamentary elections should not be declared illegal. Advocate Shah Monjurul Hoque and advocate Manzill Murshed stood for the writ petitioners, while deputy attorney general Motahar Hossain Saju represented the state.

Now, following the HC order, the BNP candidates cannot contest the general election slated to be held on December 30, advocate Shah Monjurul Hoque, counsel for the petitioners, told reporters after the HC order.

With these three BNP leaders, a total of 19 BNP candidates, including its chairperson Khaleda Zia, lost their candidature in the last one week. The HC and the apex court rejected their candidature on different grounds including defaulting on loans and holding an office of profit.

Most of the candidates lost their candidature because of the non-acceptance of their resignations from the posts of upazila chairmen. Meanwhile, the same bench of the HC rejected a writ petition that paved the way for the AL candidate for Dhaka-17, Akbar Hossain Pathan Farooque, to contest the December 30 election.

Bangladesh Jatiya Party candidate Andalib Rahman Partha had filed the writ petition challenging the legality of the EC’s decision allowing Farooque to contest the election, saying that Farooque is a bank loan defaulter. In its order, the HC bench said that the petition is rejected considering the fact that the petition was not moved properly.

The same bench also rejected three other writ petitions filed challenging the legality of the EC’s decision that allowed three AL candidates—Rashed Khan Menon, Hazi Selim and Pankaj Debnath—to contest the election.

The writ petitions were filed by their opposition candidates for staying their candidature on separate grounds including convictions and loan default.