Dhaka: The High Court (HC) on Thursday rejected the writ petition filed by former Posts, Telecommunications and ICT minister Abdul Latif Siddique challenging the jurisdiction of Election Commission (EC) to carry out hearing on legitimacy of his parliament membership.

A HC bench comprising Justice M Emdadul Haque and Justice Mohammad Khurshid Alam Sarkar passed the order in the morning.

Additional Attorney General Murad Reza informed journalists that following this order Latif Siddiqi will have to attend the hearing of the EC on 23 August.

Latif filed the petition with the HC on 16 August challenging the EC's 9 August notice which fixed 23 August for hearing the dispute.

During the court proceedings on Wednesday, the HC had fixed Thursday for passing an order on the writ.

Latif Siddique was sacked as the posts and telecommunication minister on 12 October last year for his ‘derogatory’ comments on hajj, Tablighi Jamaat, and prime minister's son Sajeeb Wazed Joy at a New York programme on 28 September.  

On 24 October, the ruling Awami League cancelled his party membership.

On 28 November last year, a writ petition was filed with the HC seeking an order for vacating the post of Member of Parliament (MP) of sacked minister Abdul Latif Siddique.

Supreme Court lawyer Eunus Ali Akond filed the writ petition with the section concerned of the HC.