HC orders EC to take custody of Dhaka-13 ballots

The High Court (HC) has ordered the Election Commission of Bangladesh (EC) to take custody of the ballot papers and result sheets of the Dhaka-13 constituency from the 13th national parliamentary election.
The court also issued notices to other candidates of the constituency in this regard.

A single bench of the High Court Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh headed by Justice Md Zakir Hossain passed the order on Wednesday after accepting the petition for hearing, reports media.

Earlier, Mamunul Haque, a candidate of the Jamaat alliance for Dhaka-13, filed a petition with the High Court challenging the election results.

The seat was won by Bobby Hajjaj of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

Previously, more than 25 candidates filed petitions with the High Court challenging the results of the 13th parliamentary election.

The court accepted the petitions for hearing and ordered the preservation of necessary materials, including ballot papers, from the concerned constituencies.

Under Section 49 of the Representation of the People Ordinance, 1972, an election tribunal has been constituted in the High Court to hear petitions alleging electoral irregularities.

A single bench headed by Justice Md Zakir Hossain is currently hearing the petitions.