HC begins hearing today on pending petition

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The High Court (HC) begins hearing today (Monday) a pending writ petition challenging the Election Commission's (EC) gazette notification re-casting the parliamentary constituencies under electoral reforms ahead of the national elections, reports UNB.
A vacation division bench of the HC, comprising Justice Nazmun Ara Sultana and Justice M Rezaul Huq, fixed the date of hearing on September 22 as Shahdeen Malik, a counsel for the EC, pressed for quick disposal of the writ petition following the announcement of the parliamentary polls.
On September 20, Chief Adviser (CA) Fakhruddin Ahmed declared December 18 as the date for holding the much- anticipated ninth parliamentary polls, earlier stalled amid political turmoil.
On August 7, the HC, upon a writ petition filed by former state minister and ex-BNP MP (Dhaka-2) Abdul Mannan, stayed for three months the gazette notification of the EC finalizing the delimitation of the parliamentary constituencies.
The HC bench of Justice Khademul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Mashuque Hosain Ahmed had also issued a rule on the government and the EC to explain why the July 10 gazette notification "should not be declared unconstitutional and void".