Bangla graft convicts debarred from contesting polls

Dhaka: Bangladesh's High Court has disqualified graft convicts who were tried under Emergency Power Rules (EPR) and sentenced to no less than a two-year term from competing in upcoming polls.

A two-member High Court bench on Sunday issued the judgment, which political sources and officials said would debar about 75 high-profile politicians mostly belonging to former prime minister Khalida Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and her rival Shaikh Hasina's Awami League from contesting the December 29 general elections.

The bench pronounced the verdict disposing of a writ petition by imprisoned BNP stalwart and former minister Nazmul Huda challenging the EPR provision, which disqualifies from polls any person convicted in cases under the tough law.

Huda was sentenced to more than two years in separate cases. The judgment came nearly a month after the home ministry sent a list of 103 graft convict politicians to the Election Commission to debar them.