BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia is likely to file three separate petitions with the Supreme Court today, seeking stay on the High Court order that rejected her three writ petitions challenging the Election Commission's decision to uphold cancellation of her nomination papers by the returning officers.
In the petitions, Khaleda will seek the apex court's order on the EC to allow her to contest the December 30 election, and to allocate her “sheaf of paddy” as election symbol.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. The petitions will be moved before the chamber judge of the Appellate Division today, Barrister AKM Ehsanur Rahman, a lawyer for Khaleda, told The Daily Star.
On December 18, the HC summarily rejected the three writ petitions by Khaleda Zia, saying the EC rightly upheld the ROs' decision to cancel Khaleda's nomination papers for Feni-1, Bogura-6 and Bogura-7, as she was convicted and sentenced to 17 years in jail in two corruption cases.
The HC bench of Justice JBM Hassan passed the order saying if a person is convicted and sentenced to more than two years in prison for moral turpitude, they are not eligible to participate in elections in five years after serving jail term.
On December 11, the HC bench of Justice Refaat and Justice Md Iqbal Kabir Lytton passed split orders on the three petitions. The next day, the chief justice assigned the bench of Justice Hassan to dispose of the petitions.
Khaleda landed in jail on February 8 after a special court in Dhaka sentenced her to five years' imprisonment in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case. The HC later extended her jail term to 10 years.
On October 29, she was sentenced to seven years' rigorous imprisonment by the same court in the Zia Charitable Trust graft case.
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