The Chamber Court of the Appellate Division has extended the stay on a High Court order that had suspended the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) election.
The appeal filed by the Dhaka University administration to suspend the High Court order is scheduled for hearing before the regular bench of the Appellate Division tomorrow, Wednesday. The Chamber Court, headed by Justice Farah Mahbub, issued the extension on Tuesday.
According to DU’s lawyer, Mohammad Shishir Monir, the High Court’s suspension order will remain in effect until the full hearing of the appeal. He added, “Tomorrow, the appeal will be listed as the first item before the full bench of the Appellate Division.”
The High Court had issued the original order on Monday, suspending the ongoing DUCSU election process and the final voter list, effectively halting the election originally scheduled for 9 September. Following this, DU submitted an application in the Chamber Court to suspend the High Court order. The Chamber Court granted the suspension until the civil miscellaneous petition is fully addressed, allowing the university to proceed with election preparations.
The civil miscellaneous petition challenging the High Court order was filed in court today by DU’s legal team. The petition was subsequently listed and heard as a supplementary item. Lawyers Mohammad Shishir Monir and Mohammad Saddam Hossain represented the university, while Jyotirmoy Barua appeared for the petitioner.
In the upcoming DUCSU election on 9 September, SM Farhad, president of the Dhaka University branch of Islami Chhatra Shibir, is contesting for the post of General Secretary under the student bloc-backed panel ‘Oikyoboddho Shikkharthi Jote’.
The validity of Farhad’s candidacy was challenged in a writ on 28 August, citing alleged links with the banned organization Chhatra League. During Monday’s High Court hearing, a bench led by Justice Habibul Gani and Justice Sheikh Tahsin Ali suspended the election process and publication of the final candidate list until 30 October.
The High Court also directed the petitioner to submit evidence regarding Farhad’s alleged affiliation with Chhatra League to the university’s election tribunal within 15 days. The tribunal is to investigate the allegations, hear statements from the petitioner, Farhad, and other relevant parties, and report back to the court by 21 October.
A total of ten panels have been announced by student organizations for this year’s election. For 28 DUCSU posts, 471 candidates are contesting, including 62 female candidates. The highest competition is for the member positions, with 217 candidates across 18 halls, totaling 1,035 contestants for 13 posts.
