The High Court (HC) on Monday ordered the government bodies concerned to appoint an administrator to the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) to hold elections for the manpower exporters' organisation.
The commerce secretary was asked to appoint the administrator immediately after getting the HC order, while the administrator was directed to hold the elections within four weeks.
The HC bench of Justice Fahmida Quader and Justice Mubina Asaf delivered the verdict after hearing four writ petitions, including one filed by BAIRA member Khandaker Abu Ashfaq.
Lawyers Zainul Abedin, AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon, Ahsanul Karim, Gazi Kamrul Islam Sajal, and Siddique Ullah Miah appeared in the court hearing on behalf of the writ petitioners, while Jamir Uddin Sircar, Rokanuddin Mahmud, Ruhul Quddus Kazal, and Kayser Kamal represented BAIRA.
BAIRA is regulated and governed by the Trade Organisation Rules 1994 under the Ministry of Commerce.
According to Section 14 of the rules, every trade organisation shall constitute an election board consisting of three members and an election appeal board consisting of three members at least 90 days prior to the said election to elect the existing executive committee, the next executive committee, or the respective member posts as the case may be.
However, the present BAIRA executive committee has announced its election schedule violating Section 14.
The committee on October 24 this year announced the schedule, setting December 10 as the election date. It also dropped 500 members from the voter list. That is why BAIRA member Ashfaq moved the HC challenging the election schedule.
After hearing the parties, the High Court bench on November 5 this year stayed the operation of the election schedule and issued a rule. After holding the final hearing on the rule, the HC bench declared it absolute.
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