The Appellate Division has frozen a High Court order, which had stalled the Gazipur City Corporation election for three months.


A four-member bench led by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain also ordered the voting to be held by Jun 28.
The order came on Thursday after the court heard petitions by the Election Commission and candidates nominated by the Awami League and BNP challenging the HC decision.

The HC stayed the polls on Sunday (May 6) following a petition against redistricting of the Gazipur City Corporation.
On Monday (May 7), BNP nominated mayoral candidate Hasan Uddin Sarker moved the Appellate Division while Awami League candidate Jahangir Alam filed a petition against the order the next day.
The hearings on the petitions at the top court were scheduled for Wednesday (May 9), but it was deferred as the Election Commission sought time after filing a separate plea the same day.
The polls were stalled following a petition by Savar unit Awami League leader ABM Azharul Islam Suruj.
Suruj, the chairman of Savar’s Shimulia Union, challenged the Election Commission’s gazette notification including six localities of his constituency to the Gazipur City Corporation.
The court also issued a rule asking why the gazette notification and the schedules for the polls will be not declared illegal.
Nine people, including the local government secretary and a deputy secretary of the ministry, Dhaka divisional commissioner, Dhaka deputy commissioner, Gazipur city corporation’s chief executive and chief election commissioner have been ordered to come up with an explanation.
In January 2013, the Election Commission published a gazette notification redistricting the city corporation.
Suruj’s counsel BM Elias said after the HC order that his client had taken the matter to the local government ministry in 2013.
“But the ministry did not respond, so Suruj moved the High Court, when it ordered the government to dispose of the matter.
Without disposing of the matter, the polls to the Shimulia Union Council was held in 2016, when Suruj was elected the chairman,” he told Bangla Tribune.
The six localities in concern fall under the Shimulia Union.
Hours after the High Court’s order, the Election Commission instructed Gazipur polls officials to halt all proceedings.
The commission, however, now says that it will be not possible for them to hold the voting on May 15.
Describing the whole scenario as 'critical', Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda said on Wednesday, “In my opinion, the May 15 voting was possible if a decision came today.”
His remarks came while speaking to the media in Gazipur, where he held a meeting with electoral and administrative officials.
Huda said he had arrived at the conclusion based on feedback from officials.