3 mayors suspended again
Sylhet, Rajshahi, Habiganj mayors face action for being accused in criminal cases
Staff Reporter
Sylhet City Corporation mayor Ariful Haque Chowdhury, Rajshahi City mayor Mosaddek Hossain Bulbul and Habiganj municipality mayor Golam Kibria Gaus have again been suspended, hours after they rejoined office following the orders of the High Court (HC). The three mayors were earlier suspended and were recently reinstated in their respective offices following the HCs orders. The local government, rural development and co-operatives (LGRD) ministry yesterday issued three separate notices on the suspension orders of the three city mayors.
The LGRD ministry issued the same suspension letters to the Sylhet and Rajshahi city mayors, where it mentioned that according to Sub-section 12 of Section 60 of the Local Government (City Corporation) Law, 2009, the government can issue such a suspension letter to an elected representative, if he/she is an accused in criminal cases. Talking to The Independent correspondent, Enamul Habib, chief executive officer of Sylhet City Corporation (SCC), said mayor Ariful Chowdhury received the suspension letter from the ministry at around 2:30pm. However, the Rajshahi city mayor was given the same letter yesterday afternoon, Muhammad Anwar Pasha, deputy secretary of the Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC), told our local correspondent yesterday. The suspension letters were issued to the duo as Ariful Chowdhury was accused in two cases in Rajshahione filed under the Explosives Act and another filed in connection with a murderwhile Hossain was an accused in a case lodged with Boalia Police Station under the Explosives Act. Meanwhile, both the city mayors had earlier received the same suspension letters on being accused of criminal cases. Earlier, BNP-backed RCC mayor Hossain resumed his duties yesterday morning
after the Supreme Court (SC) upheld a HC order that declared his suspension illegal on March 5. On May 7, 2015, the government suspended RCC mayor Hossain as he was charged with criminal offences.
On March 24, the Supreme Court upheld a High Court order that stayed the suspension of Sylhet City Corporation (SCC) mayor Ariful Haque Chowdhury.
Following the order, Ariful Chowdhury resumed his office yesterday morning. The suspension letter reached Sylhet Nagar Bhaban just three hours after Chowdhury took charge.
On January 7, 2015, the government suspended mayor Chowdhury as he had been charged with the killing of former finance minister SMA Kibria.
Habiganj municipality mayor GK Gaus was also suspended again as he is an accused in a criminal case in connection with the killing of former finance minister Kibria.
Earlier, on March 24, Gaus took charge of his office more than three years after being suspended from the mayoral position.
On December 30, 2015, Gaus was elected the Habiganj municipality mayor again for the third timeafter contesting the polls from jailbut he could not join office, thanks to the suspension order.
The HC postponed the suspension order against Gaus on January 23 this year, responding to a writ petition he had filed. The SC, too, also upheld the HCs verdict in this regard on January 30.
