Court Cancels Aslam Chowdhury's Election Candidacy

Bangladesh's Appellate Division has canceled the parliamentary candidacy of BNP leader Aslam Chowdhury, preventing him from taking the oath of office despite winning the Chattogram-4 constituency in the 13th National Parliamentary Election.

The ruling was delivered Tuesday by a four-member Appellate Bench led by the Chief Justice. The court had reserved its verdict after concluding hearings on June 15.

Lawyers involved in the case said the decision means Chowdhury's election result cannot be officially published, effectively disqualifying him from assuming office as a member of parliament.

Senior lawyers Mohammad Shishir Monir and Barrister A.S.M. Shahriar Kabir represented the Jamaat-e-Islami candidate, while Miftah Uddin Chowdhury and Barrister A.M. Mahbub Uddin Khokon appeared for Chowdhury.

The legal dispute stems from allegations that Chowdhury was a loan defaulter. On January 18, the Election Commission upheld the validity of his nomination after an appeal.

A bank later challenged that decision in court. Although the High Court dismissed the petition, the bank appealed to the Appellate Division. Separately, Jamaat-e-Islami candidate Md. Anwar Siddiqui sought leave to appeal the High Court's decision.

On February 3, the Appellate Division accepted the appeal against the order validating Chowdhury's candidacy. The court allowed him to contest the election but ordered that the election result would remain suspended until the appeal was resolved.

Chowdhury won the February 12 election, but the result was never officially published because of the court's earlier order. Tuesday's ruling permanently invalidates his candidacy, making him ineligible to take the oath as a member of parliament.