Writ petition challenges appointment of city corporation administrators

A writ petition was filed with the High Court today, challenging the legality of appointing administrators to six city corporations, including Dhaka north and Dhaka south.

Six Supreme Court lawyers, led by Advocate Golam Kibria, submitted the petition as a public interest litigation.

The petition seeks a stay on the appointments and urges the court to direct the government and the Election Commission to hold city corporation elections within 30 days. It also requests that deputy commissioners oversee the corporations until new mayors are elected.

“The High Court may hear the petition next week,” Golam Kibria told The Daily Star.

The other petitioners are lawyers Zillur Rahman, Abu Daud Nizami, Al Muttaqi Billah, Ismail Hossain Sabuj, and Khalid Saifullah.

The writ petition names the local government secretary, the Election Commission and other relevant officials as respondents.

On February 22, the government appointed six full-time administrators to city corporations across the country. The notification was issued by the Local Government Division (City Corporation-1 Branch) under the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives.

According to the notification, Md Abdus Salam was appointed administrator of Dhaka South City Corporation; Md Shafiqul Islam Khan to Dhaka North City Corporation; Nazrul Islam Manju to Khulna City Corporation; Abdul Quiyum Choudhury to Sylhet City Corporation; Md Sakhawat Hossain Khan to Narayanganj City Corporation; and Md Shawkat Hossain Sarkar to Gazipur City Corporation.