Shawdesh Desk:

The High Court (HC)  issued a rule on Thursday asking authorities concerned to explain why it shall not declare BNP leader
Md Harunor Rashid’s Chapainawabganj-3 parliamentary constituency, vacant.

The court asked law secretary, cabinet secretary, authorities of Election Commission, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), Chapainawabganj deputy commissioner, Harunor Rashid, among others to reply in next four weeks.

The High Court division bench of Justice Obaidul Hassan and Justice AKM Zahirul Huq passed the order after holding hearing on a writ filed in this regard.

A Chapainawabganj inhabitant named Abdul Wadud filed the writ, saying Rashid, who has been convicted and sentenced to five-year rigorous imprisonment in a graft case, cannot retain his parliament membership as per the rule.

Dhaka 4th Special Judge Court on October 21, 2019, sentenced Chapainawabganj-3 lawmaker Md Harunor Rashid to five-year rigorous imprisonment and fined him Taka 50 lakh in a case lodged for selling Hummer SUV brought in the country using tax-free facility in 2005.

The court also sentenced accused Ishtiaq Sadek to three-year imprisonment and fined him Taka 40 lakh and handed down two-year imprisonment to another accused Md Enayetur Rahman (Bappy) and fined him Taka one lakh.

According to the law, no vehicle brought under tax-free facility can be sold within three-years of import. But the BNP leader sold the vehicle way before end of the three-year timeframe to car trader Sadek, who later sold that to Enayetur.