Appellate Division orders status quo

CHATTOGRAM Dec 31: The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has ordered all parties to maintain the status quo over the Bangladesh Shipping Agents Association (BSAA) election for the 2025-27 term, following legal challenges over alleged violations of a High Court directive.

The order was issued on 29 December after Mohammed Anowar Hossain, Managing Director of Benocean Maritime Limited and a BSAA voter, filed a civil petition for leave to appeal against a High Court judgment delivered earlier in December.

Retired Commodore AZM Jalal Uddin, Chairman of the BSAA Election Board, confirmed the order and said he could not comment further as the matter is now pending in the court.

Court records show that the petitioner challenged the High Court's 8 December judgment in Writ Petition No. 16393 of 2025, which made the rule absolute and issued several directions on how the BSAA election should be conducted. The petition also sought a stay on the High Court ruling and on actions taken under a BSAA circular issued on 24 December that announced the publication of the final election results.

After hearing both sides, the judge in chambers fixed the case for a hearing before the full bench of the Appellate Division on 11 January 2026 and directed the parties to maintain the status quo until then. Several members and shipping companies allege that the election board ignored the High Court's instructions to conduct the election afresh.

In a related move, law firm R Rahman-Rizwan & Associates served a legal notice on the BSAA, its election board, the Ministry of Commerce, and several senior government officials on behalf of five shipping and logistics companies.

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