BNP's Manjurul Ahsan Munshi to appeal to regain candidacy

The High Court has upheld the Election Commission’s (EC) decision to cancel the candidacy of BNP leader Manjurul Ahsan Munshi for the Comilla-4 constituency.

The court’s ruling follows allegations that Munshi concealed information regarding a loan default in his nomination papers. As a result, he is currently ineligible to contest the upcoming election, though he retains the right to appeal the High Court's order.

Initially, the Returning Officer had declared Munshi’s nomination valid. However, Hasnat Abdullah, a candidate from the National Citizen Party (NCP), challenged this decision by filing an appeal with the EC. Abdullah alleged that the BNP candidate had deliberately hidden his status as a loan defaulter.

Following a hearing at the Nirbachan Bhaban on January 17, the EC granted Abdullah’s appeal and scrapped Munshi’s nomination.

In response, Munshi filed a writ petition on January 19 seeking to stay the EC's decision. During the proceedings, the court heard arguments from both sides. Advocate Mohammad Hossain Lipu, representing Hasnat Abdullah, stated that the court upheld the cancellation because the evidence of information concealment was clear.

Senior lawyers including Advocate Ahsanul Karim and Barrister Ruhul Quddus Kajal represented Munshi, while Barrister Ehsan Abdullah Siddiqui and others represented the petitioner, Hasnat Abdullah.