Verdict on Article 70 today

The High Court will deliver its order on Tuesday on a writ petition filed challenging the constitutional validity of Article 70 and seeking a stay on the schedule for the upcoming presidential election.

The HC bench comprising Justice Khizir Ahmed Choudhury and Justice AFM Saiful Karim fixed the date after concluding hearings on the petition on Monday.

Article 70 provides for the vacation of a parliamentary seat if a lawmaker resigns from or votes against the political party that nominated them.

During the hearing, Attorney General Md Ruhul Quddus Kazal strongly opposed the petition and urged the court to reject it, saying that the petition is not acceptable.

The attorney general also pointed out that petitioner Advocate Eunus Ali Akond had previously filed a similar petition before the High Court, which rejected the matter. Akond did not appeal against that verdict before the Appellate Division, he said.

Meanwhile, the International Crimes Tribunal-2 may deliver its verdict any day in the case against Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader and six leaders of the party and its affiliated organisation over atrocities committed during the July 2024 Uprising.

The three-member tribunal, headed by former High Court judge Justice Md Nozrul Islam Chowdhury, on Monday concluded the hearing from the both sides and said the crimes against humanity case is now “awaiting verdict” (CAV).

The other members of the tribunal are former district judge Md Monjurul Basit and Md Noor Mohammad Shahriar Kabir.