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The Appellate Division of Bangladesh's Supreme Court has nullified the candidacy of Aslam Chowdhury, a candidate for the Chattogram-4 constituency representing the BNP, in the 13th parliamentary election.

The court's decision, delivered by a four-member bench headed by Chief Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury, cited defaulted loans as the reason for disqualification. This verdict overturns a previous judgment by the High Court, which had permitted Chowdhury to participate in the election held on February 12 this year.

The appeal against the High Court's decision was lodged by Jamaat-e-Islami candidate Md Anwar Siddique. His lawyer, Mohammad Shishir Manir, confirmed that the Appellate Division canceled Chowdhury's candidacy based on his status as a loan defaulter.

Following the appeal, the Supreme Court had initially directed the Election Commission on February 3 to allow Aslam Chowdhury to contest. However, it stipulated that the final announcement of election results would be withheld until the pending appeal was resolved. Chowdhury subsequently participated in and won the election, but the results remain unpublished in compliance with the apex court's order.

Legal representatives for both sides presented their arguments. Senior lawyers M Qumrul Haque Siddique and Probir Neogi acted as amici curiae. Mohammad Shishir Manir, along with Advocate Azim Uddin Patwary, represented Anwar Siddique, while AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon and Md Miftah Uddin Choudhury represented Aslam Chowdhury. Lawyers from Bank Asia and Jamuna Bank also appeared during the hearing.

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The Appellate Division today cancelled Aslam's candidacy on the grounds that he is a loan defaulter.