The election of Bangladesh Society in New York, USA has been postponed again.
Queens County Supreme Court on Friday (November 12) ruled in a case filed by society member Nira Rabbani over alleged irregularities in this year’s election, a Society source said. As a result, elections will not be held on Sunday, November 14.
Earlier, expatriate Osman Chowdhury failed to file a case regarding postponement of elections. Osman Chowdhury issued a notice of 9 people including Bangladesh Society on Wednesday, November 10, mentioning that a case will be filed regarding the postponement of the election on Friday (November 12).
The source told Risingbd that Nira Rabbani, an expatriate woman, became a member of the society in 2018. She filed a lawsuit in the Supreme Court of Queens County, New York, seeking a stay on the election, citing irregularities in this year’s election. The court passed the order on Friday (November 12) in response to her appeal. Until the writing of this report, the specific lawyer of Bangladesh Society Mohammad Abdul Aziz could not confirm this matter. He expressed reluctance to discuss the issue of postponing the election of Bangladesh Society on the pretext that there is a client in the office.
Osman Chowdhury told Risingbd that he had failed to submit the required documents online in time as per rules of the court and therefore he could not file a case regarding postponement of the election on Friday as per his decision. He took one with him to co-operate in court. He also tried hard to submit papers online. But he failed to go the court’s website and submit the required documents for index number 7850/2018. However, he hopes to file another case against the elected committee and election commissioners after the election. Asked what he would sue again, he told Risingbd that the current system or process by which elections are being held is unconstitutional. Before the announcement of the current election of the two-year term committee, no one renewed the membership with a fixed membership fee and even not updating the voter list has caused a lot of financial loss to the society in the drama called election. So after the election, he decided to file a new case.
When contacted, Mohammad Abdul Aziz, a lawyer representing the Bangladesh Society, said that he was physically present at the Queens County Supreme Court in Jamaica on Friday (November 12) at 12:20 p.m. The plaintiff in the case Osman Chowdhury appeared before the court in time with the required documents but the court did not accept the printed version (hard copy) of his documents. Since the Corona epidemic, there have been rules for submitting all kinds of necessary documents to the court’s website. But he failed to submit documents under that rule.
It is to be noted that Osman Chowdhury had filed a case in the court seeking restraint of his rights due to his inability to participate in the elections in 2018 and a ban on postponing the elections of Bangladesh Society but the wise judge did not take cognizance of it. He has revived the previous case. Whose index number is 7850/2018. On Wednesday, November 10, he informed the Bangladesh Society, Attorney Mohammad Abdul Aziz, Election Commission, former (late) President Kamal Ahmed and Abdur Rab Mia, Ruhul Amin Siddiqui, Nayan-Ali of Rob-Ruhul Parishad Kazi Ashraf Hossain (Nayan) of the council, Mohammad Ali took notice.
