The High Court on Monday stayed all the proceedings of the Jhenaidah 1 constituency (Sailkupa) by-election scheduled to be held on June 5.
The bench of Justice Md Zakir Hossain granted the stay order after a petition filed by Nazrul Islam Dulal Biswas, an independent candidate, who got the second highest votes in January 7 general election.
The seat of Jhenaidah-1 felt vacant after the Awami League lawmaker Abdul Hyee died on March 16.
Nazrul鈥檚 lawyer, Syed Mamun Mahbub, told the High Court that the Election Commission was going to hold the by-election in violation of Article 70 of Representation of People Order, as a dispute over the election of Abdul Hyee as MP in the January 7 election, pending with the High Court.
On Monday, the High Court also set May 12 for starting hearing of the election petition filed in February by Nazrul Islam to declare him as elected.
Nazrul said that the presiding officer soon after the election showed 49 per cent turnout of voters at about 4:30am, although the returning officer later showed the turnout of voters 59 per cent to manipulate the result in favour of Abdul Hyee.
In the election held on January 7, Hyee got 94,379 and Nazrul secured 80,547 votes.