Writ seeks stay on Dhaka city polls

A Supreme Court lawyer today filed a writ petition seeking the High Court directives upon the Election Commission (EC) and the government to stay the process of holding the bifurcated Dhaka city corporations elections.

Eunus Ali Akond also challenged the legality of the rules of local government (city corporations) Amendment Act-2011 under which Dhaka City Corporation was bifurcated into two city corporations.

In the petition, he said Dhaka city corporation is a unitary city corporation as per local government (city corporation) Act-2009 but the government split it into south and north violating the 2009 Act.

As per the local government (city corporation) rules -2010, a mayoral candidate of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) has to pay Tk 50,000 and a mayoral candidate of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) has to pay Tk 1 lakh to the EC as security money.

As per constitution, Bangladesh is a democratic country and every citizen has right to contest in the election. Not all citizens have the ability to deposit Tk 1 lakh and Tk 50,000 as security money for contesting mayoral post in the election, he told The Daily Star citing the petition.

Returning officers of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) issued notices saying that every candidate has to purchase a compact disk (CD) containing the voter list with Tk 18,000 and Tk 27,500 respectively.

Eunus termed both the amount as illegal in the petition.

He prayed to the court to issue a rule upon the government and EC to explain why local government (city corporation) Amendment Act-2011 and the relevant rules of the local government (city corporation) - 2010, schedules of Dhaka city corporations’ elections and returning officers’ notices should not be declared illegal.

The law secretary, secretary to the parliament, chief election commissioner and returning officers of DNCC and DSCC have been made respondents to the required rule.

The HC may hold hearing on the petition tomorrow, Akond said.