A writ petition has been filed with the High Court on Tuesday challenging the legality of an office order of the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) that scrapped the power of issuing nationality, character and succession certificates of the women councillors from reserved seats.
Supreme Court lawyer Md Eunus Ali Akond filed the petition on behalf of DSCC’s three councillors, Khaleda Alam, Shaheda Begum and Nasrin Rashid Putul.
According to the writ petition, the Secretary of the DSCC issued an office order on November 28 last year in this regard.
The notification said, “Only general councillors can issue succession, nationality and character certificates, according to Section 3(3) of the law. And the reserved seat councillors have no legal authority to issue any such certificate.”
Lawyer Eunus Ali Akond said, “Everyone has equal rights under the Constitution. However, the DSCC authorities have issued an office order barring women councillors from issuing character, nationality and succession certificates. That is why we have filed the writ petition challenging the Section 3(3) of the law and the legality of the office order issued by the DSCC.”
In the petition, it was prayed to the High Court to issue a rule upon the concerned bodies of the government asking them as to why Section 3(3) of the law should not be declared contrary to the Constitution and as to why the office order issued by the DSCC authorities should not be declared illegal.
DSCC Mayor, Law Secretary, LGRD Secretary, and DSCC Secretary have been made respondents in the writ petition.