HC questions legality of housing minister\\\'s holding office
Wednesday, 26 November 2014
The High Court (HC) questioned Tuesday the legality of holding office by Housing and Public Works Minister Engineer Mosharraf Hossain even after holding a profitable post in a company, reports UNB.
The court issued a rule upon the authorities concerned to explain in three weeks as to how Engineer Mosharraf Hossain became minister even after holding a profitable post and as to why the post for Housing and Public Works Minister should not be declared vacant.
An HC bench comprising Justice Moyeenul Islam and Justice Mohammad Ashraful Kamal came up with the rule following a writ petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer ZI Khan Panna.
The Housing and Public Works Minister, the Cabinet Secretary and Registrar of the Joint Stock Companies and Firms have been made respondents to the rule.
Advocate Shahdeen Malik stood for the writ petitioner.
Earlier on November 9, Shahdeen Malik on behalf of Panna served a legal notice on Engineer Mosharraf Hossain asking him to vacate his office by November 15 for holding the post reportedly "in violation of the constitution".
According to the legal notice, Mosharraf is the chairman of Peninsula Chittagong Limited, a limited company, which is the violation of the article 147 of the constitution.
The article stipulates that a minister and a state minister cannot hold any office, post or position of profit or remuneration.