The High Court today stayed the process of holding elections to the councillors’ post of 18 wards included in Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) in July last year.

The elections were scheduled to be held on February 26.

The court also issued a rule asking the Election Commission and the government why the schedule issued by the EC for holding the elections should not be declared illegal.

The HC bench of Justice Tariq ul Hakim and Justice Md Faruque came up with the order and rule following a writ petition filed by Mozammel Mia, a voter of Demra union, challenging the legality of the election schedule.

Yesterday, Mozammel Mia submitted the petition saying that all the posts of union parishads (UPs) have to be dissolved before including them as wards in the city corporation and then a gazette notification has to be issued to this effect under the Local Government (Union Parishad) Act, 2009. But, the posts of UP chairman have not been dissolved yet. Nor have the new voter lists for the new wards been published, the petition added.

The HC stayed the process of holding elections to the councillors’ post under DSCC a day after the court halted for three-month the process of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) polls.