The Supreme Court today upheld two separate High Court orders that cleared the way for holding by-election to Lakshmipur-2 constituency, where Mohammad Shahid Islam also known as Kazi Papul had been elected as an independent lawmaker, on June 21.

A full bench of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain made the decision after hearing arguments on two separate petitions filed challenging the HC orders.

The apex court passed "no order" on a petition filed by BNP leader and former lawmaker Abul Khair Bhuiyan, seeking stay on an order passed by the HC on June 14 clearing the way for holding the by-election.

In another order, the SC dismissed a leave to appeal petition filed against the HC order that on June 8 summarily rejected another writ petition challenging the legality of decisions for announcing the Lakshmipur-2 constituency vacant and the schedule for holding a by-election to this constituency on June 21.

The grounds on which the Appellate Division passed the orders could not be known immediately as the full text of the orders was not released yesterday (Thursday).

On February 22, the parliament secretariat issued a gazette notification announcing that the Laxmipur-2 constituency fell vacant because of Kazi Papul's moral turpitude.

A Kuwaiti court on January 28 sentenced Kazi Papul and four others to four years in jail in a bribery case.