CHATTOGRAM, Jan 3: The ruling party Awami League nominee for Chattogram-16 (Banshkhali) constituency Mustafizur Rahman Chowdhury is accused of breaching rules for entering the returning officers office for submission of nomination papers.
Mustafizur, appeared before the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Jewel Deb and successfully petitioned for bail in the case on Wednesday.
"He honours the legal process. He appeared in court today to apply for bail, which was granted following the hearing," said SM Bazlur Rashid Mintu, the controversial lawmakers lawyer.
The charges stem from an incident on November 30, when Mustafizur, along with about 15 leaders and activists from the ruling party, went to the returning officers office to submit nomination papers for his re-election bid. Abdus Salam, Deputy Secretary of the Election Commissions legal department, said that Mustafizurs entourage was too large for such a visit.
After the group emerged, a reporter asked him whether his entry was a potential violation of the electoral code.
The question reportedly angered the lawmaker, leading to threats and a physical altercation where the journalist was pushed to the ground. The scuffle also resulted in minor injuries to some journalists and damage to the equipment of several television channels.
The legal proceedings trace back to December 26, when Banshkhali election officer Muhammad Harun Molla lodged a complaint in court against Mostafizur.
