Dhaka, 15 Jan – A two-member bench of the High Court Division of the Supreme Court yesterday passed a split judgment on a writ petition that challenged legality of Article 70 of the constitution, regarding cancellation of membership of a lawmaker for voting against his or her own political party.Senior Judge of the bench Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury issued a rule asking the government as to why Article 70 of the Constitution should not be declared unconstitutional while junior judge Justice Md Ashraful Kamal summarily rejected the writ petition.
According to Article 70, a lawmaker loses his or her seat if he or she votes in parliament against the party that nominated him or her.
Advocate Eunus Ali Akond submitted the writ petition with the High Court, challenging the legality of Article 70, saying that it is against democracy and contradicts several articles of the Constitution. – Special Correspondent
