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Monday | May 11, 2026 | Dhaka

HC embarrassed to hear writ challenging legality of presidential election

 New Nation
 Published: 12:00 AM, 13 March 2023

Staff Reporter :
A High Court bench on Sunday felt embarrassed to hear a writ petition filed challenging the process of electing Mohammad Shahabuddin as President. One of the judges of the High Court bench comprising Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Ahmed Sohel felt embarrassed as he was a lawyer at the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) once.
Later the HC bench forwarded the petition to the Chief Justice for further decision, said state lawyer of the court Deputy Attorney General Samarendra Nath Biswas.
M A Aziz Khan, a Supreme Court lawyer, filed the writ petition on March 07, this year also seeking a stay of the effectiveness of the notification issued on February 13 declaring Mohammad Shahabuddin as an elected President of the country.
Later Mr Aziz Khan said, “Justice Ahmed Sohel expressed embarrassment to hear the writ petition as he was a lawyer at the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for five years. That is why the HC bench expressed its inability to hear the petition and forwarded it to the Chief Justice for further proceedings. The writ will be heard in the bench that the Chief Justice will now appoint.”
Earlier on February 13 this year, the Election Commission (EC) issued a notification declaring Mohammad Shahbuddin elected as the President.
The writ petitioner said that the writ was filed challenging the legality of the candidate screening process in the presidential election and also the legality of issuing the notification declaring Shahabuddin as President at the end of the process.
Mohammad Shahabuddin, a retired judge and former Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission, was elected as the country’s 22nd President. Mohammad Shahabuddin will succeed current President Abdul Hamid after his term expiring on April 23.
“Mohammad Shahabuddin was a former Commissioner of Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). According to Section 9 of the ACC Act 2004, a former ACC Commissioner is not permitted to hold any profitable position,” also read the writ petition.