Obliged to publish Ishraque gazette to comply with tribunal order: EC Sanaullah

Election Commissioner Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah today said that the gazette in Ishraque Hossain's name was issued only to comply with the Election Tribunal's order, as the law ministry failed to provide its opinion within the stipulated timeframe.

While speaking with reporters following the fourth commission meeting at the Election Commission building in the capital, he said the gazette was issued to avoid any deviation from the court's order.

Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin, four election commissioners, and Election Commission Secretary Akhtar Ahmed attended the meeting.

Earlier, on March 27, Judge Md Nurul Islam of Dhaka's First Joint District Judge Court and Election Tribunal annulled the results that declared Fazle Noor Taposh the winner in the 2020 Dhaka South City Corporation election and declared BNP leader Ishraque Hossain as mayor.

Upon receiving a copy of the tribunal's verdict, the Election Commission requested the law ministry's opinion on the publication of the gazette on April 22.

Later, on April 27, the EC issued the gazette, officially declaring Ishraque Hossain as the new mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC).

The next day, Legal Adviser Asif Nazrul claimed that the Election Commission issued the gazette in the name of BNP leader Ishraque Hossain before the ministry had given its opinion.

When attention was drawn to the issue of publishing the gazette before receiving the law ministry's opinion, Election Commissioner Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah said, "We had an obligation to resolve this within 10 days, and we did so. We had requested the law ministry's opinion as soon as possible. April 25 was the 10th day, a Friday; Saturday was a holiday. We waited until 5:00pm on Sunday, April 27, and after not receiving the opinion, the commission decided to proceed."

He added that since the election commission was not the aggrieved party, it did not file an appeal.

The Dhaka South City election was held on February 1, 2020. Awami League's Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh was declared mayor over BNP's Ishraque Hossain by a margin of nearly 200,000 votes.