HC clears EC after CEC apologised

The High Court yesterday exonerated the Election Commission from a contempt of court rule after the EC offered an unconditional apology.

The HC bench of Justice M Moazzam Husain and Justice Md Badruzzaman passed the order after accepting the apology tendered by the chief election commissioner, four election commissioners and a senior assistant secretary of the commission, EC's lawyer barrister Mohammed Yeasin Khan told The Daily Star.

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He said CEC Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad, four election commissioners and senior assistant secretary Mizanur Rahman on November 26 appeared before the HC registrar office and sworn an affidavit offering the unconditional apology to the HC for not complying with the court's order that has asked the EC to dispose of a complaint about anomalies in the elections to Charbhairabi union parishad in Chandpur's Haimchar.

They did not dispose of the complaint “on mistaken idea of facts and law”, he added.

Aggrieved, Zahidul Islam, a chairman candidate of the union, filed a writ petition with the HC in April. Following the petition, the court asked the EC to dispose of the complaint.