The High Court has dismissed a writ petition filed by Mahmudur Rahman Manna, president of the Dhaka Citizens’ Union, seeking a direction to remove his name from the list of defaulters, effectively barring him from participating in the upcoming parliamentary elections, the state’s lawyer said.
A High Court bench comprising Justice Md. Bazlur Rahman and Justice Md. Manjur Alam passed the order on Wednesday (December 24). Senior advocate Ahsanul Karim and Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua appeared for Manna; Deputy Attorney General Shafiqur Rahman appeared for the state.
The state said the court did not find the request to remove his name from the Bangladesh Bank’s list of defaulters acceptable. Manna’s lawyers said they will appeal against the order.
In the context of the case, it is known that Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited issued a ‘call back notice’ last December against Manna-led Afaku Cold Storage Limited to collect an outstanding amount of about 384.76 million taka. It warned of legal action if the payment was not made within the stipulated time.
According to the bank’s information, despite receiving approval for an investment of Tk 22 crore in 2010, the company failed to make regular payments. Despite being profitable, the company did not pay its liabilities as per the agreement, resulting in the current arrears.