The Supreme Court today cleared the way for Sylhet City Corporation (SCC) Mayor Ariful Huq Chowdhury and Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) Mayor Mosaddek Hossain Bulbul to discharge their duties.

Chamber Judge of the Appellate Division of the SC Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain came up with the order after dropping two separate petitions from his hearing list.

The two petitions were filed with the SC seeking stay on the High Court orders that halted suspensions of Ariful and Bulbul. 

The government in the petitions prayed to the court to drop the petitions out of its hearing list and said it may move separate leave to appeal petitions before the apex court against the HC orders after receiving its full texts, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam told The Daily Star.

READ Suspension of Mayors: Govt suspending, court staying

He said the HC orders that stayed the suspensions of Ariful and Bulbul will remain in force until further orders from the SC.

Following two separate writ petitions filed by Bulbul and Ariful, the HC on Tuesday and Monday stayed the government orders suspending them as mayors of RCC and SCC.

Ariful joins office hours after the SC order

SCC Mayor Ariful Huq Chowdhury joined his office today following the Supreme Court order while Bulbul joined office yesterday after the High Court stayed his suspension order.

Earlier on April 2, the LGRD ministry suspended three pro-BNP mayors –Ariful, Bulbul and Habiganj municipality Mayor GK Gaus -- saying three courts accepted charge sheets against them in separate criminal cases.

Stays on suspension of Sonargaon UP chairman

The High Court today stayed the government order that suspended Narayanganj's Sonargaon upazila chairman Azharul Islam Mannan for next six months.

The High Court bench of Justice Naima Haider and Justice Abu Taher Md Saifur Rahman passed the order following a writ petition filed by Azharul challenging the legality of the suspension order.

Azharul's lawyer Shanjid Siddique told The Daily Star that LGRD ministry on March 8 suspended his client after a lower court had accepted a charge sheet against Azharul in a criminal case.

He recently filed a petition with the High Court seeking stay on the LGRD ministry's suspension order. Now there is no legal bar for Azharul to discharge his duties as the chairman of Sonargaon upazila, Shanjid added.