Mintoo moves to High Court

BNP-backed mayoral candidate for Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) polls Abdul Awal Mintoo filed Sunday a writ petition with the High Court (HC), challenging cancellation of his nomination paper.
Hearing on the writ petition, filed by his (Mintoo) lawyers, is likely to be heard today (Monday), his counsels said.
In the petition, Mr Mintoo, also former president of the apex trade body, sought the HC rule as to why cancellation of his nomination paper should not be declared illegal.
He also sought the HC direction to allow him to compete in the DNCC election slated for April 28.
The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Returning Officer of DNCC, Dhaka Divisional Commissioner and Secretary of Local Government Division were made respondents in the writ petition.
DNCC Returning Officer on April 1 rejected the nomination paper of Mr Mintoo on the grounds that the person, who supported his candidature, was 'not a voter' of the respective city corporation.
Challenging the cancellation, Mr Mintoo filed an appeal with the Dhaka Divisional Commissioner the following day, but the returning officer's decision was upheld by the commissioner on Saturday.
Then, he filed the writ petition with the HC Sunday.
Meanwhile, an HC bench Sunday rejected a writ petition filed by a lawyer, seeking the HC rule as to why the schedules on both the city corporations in Dhaka should not be declared illegal.
The HC bench comprising Justice Dr. Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque and Justice Abu Taher Md. Saifur Rahman passed the order, the petitioner-cum lawyer Md Eunus Ali Akond told the FE.
The lawyer in his petition also sought the HC rule as to why the 2011 amended provisions, under which the Dhaka city corporation was divided into two, should not be declared illegal, he said.
Until disposal of the rule, Mr Akond also sought the HC stay order on the polls schedules. "The writ petition was rejected as being not pressed," he added.
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