The High Court has asked why authorities will not be ordered to organise polls immediately to the bifurcated Dhaka City Corporations.
The bench of Justice Mirza Hussain Haider and Justice Muhammad Khurshid Alam Sarkar issued the ruling on Wednesday after primary hearing on two petitions.
The LGRD Secretary, Chief Election Commissioner, three other election commissioners, EC Secretary and Finance Secretary have been asked to reply within four weeks.
The government is understandably nervous about holding polls to the two city corporations in Dhaka after the drubbing received by the ruling party-backed candidates in five recent city polls in Barisal, Khulna, Sylhet, Rajshahi and Gazipur.
All these cities have opposition mayors.
The Awami League lost the Chittagong City Corporation polls within a year of its landslide victory in the December 2008 Parliament polls.
Chittagong’s long-time Awami league Mayor A B M Mohiuddin lost by more than 100,000 votes.
Lawyers Md Alamgir Hossain and Md Mostofa Ahmed separately moved the court on Sunday for ordering polls to the north and south Dhaka city corporations respectively.
Earlier on Jul 11, two other lawyers, Md Alamgir Hossain and Md Golam Nabi, served notices to the LGRD Secretary, EC Secretary and the CEC demanding polls to the two Dhaka city corporations within 48 hours.
The Dhaka City Corporation was split into two on Nov 3, 2011. Although an election schedule was announced in May last year, the process ground to a halt due to legal complications.
In May this year, all hurdles to organise the polls were cleared but the polls process again run into deep waters as complexities arose over demarcation of the South Dhaka city corporation boundaries.
The EC has sought suggestions from the LGRD ministry and hopes to announce schedule after getting the advice.
Source: Bd news24
