Our Correspondent

CHITTAGONG, Jan 7: The High Court (HC) today stayed a decision of the Election Commission (EC) for three months and ruled candidature of independent candidate Jalal Uddin Ahmed legal for Chittagong-12 parliamentary by-election to be held on January 17.

The court also directed the EC to allot a poll symbol for him and ordered the EC to explain as to why the commission's decision cancelling candidature of Jalal should not be declared illegal within three weeks, a district election official said here.

The HC bench of Justice Naima Haider and Justice Jafar Ahmed issued the order after hearing a writ petition filed by Jalal Uddin Ahmed on January 2 against the EC ruling on December 27 last.

Barrister Rafiqul Hoque moved the case on behalf of Jalal while Deputy Attorney General Muklesur Rahman stood for the state.

The EC ruled that Jalaluddin was not eligible to contest the by-election of Anwara (Ctg-12) constituency as there was anomalies in the signature of one per cent voters mandatory for submission of nomination papers in case of an independent candidate for the polls. Jalal also filed an appeal petition to the EC but the commission had rejected the same on grounds of anomalies.

The EC also rejected nominations of three other candidates on grounds of same kinds of anomalies. They are Mizanur Rahman Chowdhury, Abdul Alim Nizami and Jatiya Party candidate Tapan Chakraborty.

Jalal Uddin is the vice president of BNP Chittagong south district unit but he had to submit a list of one per cent of the total registered voters

in his support since the main opposition party BNP has boycotted the election.

The Anwara parliamentary constituency fell vacant following the demise of Awami League (AL) MP Akhtaruzzaman Chowdhury Babu. Prior to today's court order Babu's eldest son and former president of Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Zaved and Gano Forum candidate Ujjal Bhoumik had started campaign on Saturday last for the January 17 by-election.