Petition rejected, Munshi barred from contesting Cumilla-4 

The Appellate Division on Sunday rejected a leave to appeal filed by BNP candidate Manjurul Ahsan Munshi, effectively barring him from contesting the Comilla-4 seat in the upcoming 13th National Parliament election, lawyers said.

The order was passed by an Appellate Division bench headed by the Chief Justice on Sunday, bringing an end to Munshi's legal battle to regain his candidature after it was cancelled on charges of loan default. Earlier, the Election Commission cancelled Manjurul Ahsan Munshi's nomination on January 17, citing loan default allegations. Although the Returning Officer had initially declared his nomination valid, the EC intervened following objections raised by Hasnat Abdullah, the 11 party alliance candidate in the constituency and main organiser of the National Citizen Party in the southern region.

Challenging the EC decision, Munshi filed a writ petition before the High Court, which was dismissed on January 21, with the court upholding the Election Commission's action. He subsequently moved the Supreme Court on January 22, seeking leave to appeal. That petition was also dismissed on Sunday, sealing his disqualification from the race.