DHAKA: The High Court has fixed Tuesday (Jan 14) to deliver its verdict on the writ petition filed seeking its directive on Election Commission to defer the Dhaka city corporations polls, slated for December 30.

The HC bench of Justice JBM Hasan and Justice Md. Khairul Alam gave this order on Monday (January 13).

Supreme Court Adv Ashoke Kumar Ghosh stood for the petitioner while Deputy Attorney General Nur-Us Sadik argued for the state.

Lawyer Touhidul Islam moved for Election Commission.

On January 6, Adv Ashoke Kumar Ghosh submitted the petition before the HC for its directive to the EC to defer the election date for a week as Saraswati Puja, one of the religious festivals of the Hindu community, will take place on December 30 at almost all the academic institutions in Dhaka city.

Election materials will be set up in the institutions for holding the election. Therefore, the puja will be hampered, which is contradictory to the religious sentiment, he mentioned in the petition.

On December 22, 2019, the Election Commission announced that the elections to the Dhaka south and north city corporations will be held on January 30.

BDST: 1551 HRS, JAN 13, 2020

AH/SMS