Shawdesh desk:

A High Court bench on Sunday said that it felt ‘embarrassed’ to hear a writ petition filed challenging the process of electing Mohammad Shahabuddin as president and it forwarded the petition to the chief justice for a decision.

The bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Ahmed Sohel was set to hear the petition. But it forwarded the petition to the chief justice, saying one of the bench members felt embarrassed to hear the writ petition.

Justice Ahmed Sohel expressed embarrassment, saying he was a lawyer of Anti-Corruption Commission for five years.

Supreme Court lawyer MA Aziz Khan filed the writ petition with the concerned branch of the High Court on March 7.

The Election Commission and the Chief Election Commissioner had been made respondents in the writ petition.

The writ petition was filed challenging the process through which the president was elected, and the gazette that was published later.

‘Mohammad Shahabuddin was a former commissioner of Anti-Corruption Commission.

‘According to Section 9 of the ACC Act 2004, former ACC commissioner is not permitted to hold any profitable position,’ he said.

Mohammad Shahabuddin, a retired judge and former commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission, was elected as the country’s 22nd president.

On February 13, a gazette was issued declaring him elected as president of Bangladesh under Section 7 of the Presidential Election Act, 1991.

Mohammad Shahabuddin will succeed current president M Abdul Hamid after his term expires on April 23.