HC stays Sucsu polls for four weeks; university moves Appellate Division

The High Court today stayed for four weeks the process of holding the scheduled central students’ union (Sucsu) and hall union elections at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST), prompting students to announce the continuation of their protest.

The bench of Justice Fahmida Quader and Justice Md Ashif Hasan passed the order after hearing a writ petition seeking a stay on the elections.

Immediately after the High Court issued the order this afternoon, SUST authorities filed a petition with the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, challenging the stay.

In the petition, the university sought a stay on the High Court order so that the elections could proceed, senior lawyer for SUST Mohammad Belayet Hossain told The Daily Star.

He said the chamber judge of the Appellate Division may hold a hearing on the petition tomorrow.

Citing the petition, Barrister Belayet said the writ on which the High Court stayed the elections was not acceptable, as there was no nexus between the SUST elections and the national parliamentary polls.

Meanwhile, students began protesting in the morning following the writ hearing. From around 2:00pm, they blocked the Sylhet–Sunamganj regional highway in front of the university’s main gate and continued their demonstration there.

Following the High Court’s order, the protesters declared that both the blockade and their movement would continue until the election is allowed to proceed.

Earlier yesterday (January 18), Sucsu vice-president candidate Mominur Rashid Shuvo filed the writ petition seeking a stay on both the central and hall union elections. The petition named the chief election commissioner and other relevant authorities as respondents.

According to the writ, the Election Commission had earlier issued directives to halt all elections ahead of the national parliamentary polls, arguing that holding the Sucsu election under those directives was not legally valid.

Barrister Ruhul Quddus Kazal, Barrister Rashna Imam, and Barrister Moniruzzaman Asad appeared for the petitioner during the hearing, while Advocate Mohammad Hossain Lipu represented the university.

Before the court order, students had staged protests on campus demanding that the election be held as scheduled. The demonstration began around 10:15am at the university roundabout and later moved to Administrative Building-1, which the protesters locked until around 2:15pm.

At around 2:20pm, students blocked the Sylhet–Sunamganj highway, disrupting traffic in the area.

During the protests, students chanted slogans rejecting what they described as attempts to derail the election process. They also voiced opposition to a sit-in programme staged by Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal in front of the Election Commission headquarters over the Sucsu polls and other issues.

After a 28-year hiatus, the Sucsu election was scheduled for tomorrow (Tuesday).