The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) was given a seven-day deadline by the High Court to decide on around 400 garment manufacturers that purportedly lack the necessary documentation to be eligible to vote in the BGMEA election.
Responding to a writ petition, the court ordered the arbitration panel of the FBCCI, Bangladesh’s top trade organisation, to rule on the application by this date, which sought to amend the voter list for Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) election scheduled to be held on 9th March.
In addition, the HC instructed the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to help the BGMEA by supplying the necessary information and to confirm the tax identification numbers (TINs) and income tax return certificates of certain apparel manufacturers.
The writ petitioner’s attorney, Mustafizur Rahman Khan, told the local media that the HC issued a rule requesting an explanation from the FBCCI’s arbitration tribunal as to why the tribunal’s tardiness in ruling on the application for BGMEA voters’ list correction should not be deemed unlawful.
The HC bench of Justice Naima Haider and Justice Kazi Zinat Hoque issued the order and rule following the writ petition filed by Faisal Samad, owner of Surma garments, seeking necessary directives.
