Injunction on Jatiya Press Club committee stayed

The Supreme Court today stayed for eight weeks a High Court order that issued an injunction restraining the activities of existing committee of the Jatiya Press Club.

Chamber judge of the Appellate Division Justice Hasan Foez Siddique passed the stay order after hearing a petition filed by the club committee led by its President Muhammad Shafiqur Rahman and General Secretary Quamrul Islam Chowdhury.

The judge held hearing on the petition in his residence-chamber at the Judges' Complex in Dhaka this evening.   

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam, who moved the stay petition, told The Daily Star that there is no legal bar to functioning by the club committee following the chamber judge's stay order.

He said his clients will file a regular leave-to-appeal petition with the SC against the HC order after getting its certified copy.

Earlier in the day, the HC issued an injunction restraining the activities of the committee for six months.

The HC bench of Justice Sharif Uddin Chaklader passed the order after hearing a petition filed by Syed Abdal Ahmed, who claimed himself the general secretary of the press club.

Abdal submitted the petition to the HC on August 5 saying that the committee led by Shafiqur and Quamrul was illegal, since its members were not elected as per the rules and regulation of the club's constitution.

He also said in the petition that the "illegal" activities of Shafiqur and Quamrul-led committee need to be stopped by an order.

On May 28 this year, Shafiqur and Quamrul were reportedly made president and general secretary respectively of the committee through an impromptu "election".