Agency

A Dhaka court on Thursday prohibited Dhaka University Teachers Association from holding its election, scheduled for April 12, until further notice.

The court had ordered an initial freeze on the polls Tuesday after Md Ashiqul Islam, a fourth year accounting student of the university, filed a case in connection with the election.

Ashiqul's case claims the DUTA polls would hamper the students' interests by creating an unstable situation and destroying the academic atmosphere on the campus.

The case also mentioned that the emergency powers rules do not allow holding of any elections. DU Vice Chancellor SM Faiz, registrar Rezaur Rahman, DUTA president Sadrul Amin, election commissioner for the DUTA polls Professor Dalem Chandra Barman and the education secretary sought cancellation of the case Thursday.

But assistant judge Sheikh Merina Sultana ordered the teachers association to refrain from holding the polls until further notice. The court would hold a hearing on the case on May 29, she said.

DUTA's lawyer Abdul Mannan Khan told the court that the constitution would decide if the association election could be held under a state of emergency.

"This court cannot make a decision on such a matter," he said. The lawyer said the plaintiff in the case did not make it clear in his case what his personal complaint against the DUTA polls might be. "He who filed the case is not a member of the DUTA. He is a student of the university.

Only teachers, not students, can file a case against the DUTA polls." "The plaintiff was influenced by some quarter to file the case," Khan said seeking a court order cancelling the case. Lawyer for the plaintiff MA Taher said the election would violate the emergency rules and it would hamper the academic atmosphere of the university.

The election to the association was supposed to be held on Jan 1 as per the DUTA constitution. It was postponed three times to March 4, March 27 and April 12.

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