The High Court today stayed suspension orders of the mayors of Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) and Habiganj municipality.

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The HC passed the order hours after RCC mayor Mosaddek Hossain Bulbul and Habiganj municipal mayor GK Gaus filed writ petitions challenging the legality of the government decision to suspend them

The court also issued separate rules asking the government to explain why its decision to suspend the mayors should not be declared illegal.

The HC bench of Justice Syed Muhammad Dastagir Husain and Justice Md Ataur Rahman Khan came up with the order and rule following the two petitions filed by the mayors.

On Sunday, the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives (LGRD) suspended Bulbul and GK Gaus as two separate courts accepted charge sheets against them in two separate criminal cases.

In his petition, Bulbul, also a BNP leader, challenged the provisions of the Local Government (City Corporation) Act, 2009 under which the government suspended the city mayors.

Soon after the petition was filed, Bulbul’s lawyer Advocate Aminul Haque Helal told The Daily Star that the HC has earlier declared the suspension of his client illegal and then the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court also upheld the HC verdict.

The government has suspended Bulbul on Sunday on mala fide intention, he said.

The Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives (LGRD) issued the suspension order on Bulbul, saying a Rajshahi court accepted charge sheets against him in two cases filed under the Explosive Substances Act. The charge sheets were accepted around two years ago.