High Court Upholds Rejection of BNP Candidate’s Nomination in Cumilla-4

The High Court has dismissed a writ petition filed by BNP candidate Manjurul Ahsan Munshi seeking the restoration of his candidature in the Cumilla-4 constituency.The order was delivered on Wednesday by a High Court bench comprising Justice Rajik Al Jalil and Justice Md Anwarul Islam.Manjurul Ahsan Munshi had filed the writ petition on January 19 after his nomination was rejected. The hearing of the petition was scheduled for January 21 following preliminary proceedings on January 20.During the hearing, Election Commission lawyer Md Faizullah Faiz informed the court that the BNP candidate had concealed loan-related information in his election affidavit. After reviewing the submissions, the High Court rejected the petition.Commenting on the issue, rival candidate of the same constituency, Hasnat Abdullah, said that the people of the country have rejected bank looters and loan defaulters. He added that no one involved in bank looting should be allowed to enter Parliament.Hasnat Abdullah further stated that if loan defaulters are allowed to contest elections in violation of the law, questions would naturally arise regarding equal application of electoral rules.Meanwhile, sources said that Manjurul Ahsan Munshi is preparing to file an appeal against the High Court verdict.