A CORRESPONDENT
SILCHAR: Disputes surrounding candidates' educational qualifications in the upcoming Silchar Municipal Corporation (SMC) election have escalated to the judiciary. The Chief Judicial Magistrate's (CJM) Court in Silchar has issued a summons to Ataur Rahman Laskar, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate for Ward No. 17, following a lawsuit challenging the academic credentials listed in his nomination affidavit. The court notice directs him to appear in person on September 23.
Ataur Rahman Laskar serves as the Cachar district president of the BJP Minority Morcha. He secured a party ticket to contest from Ward No. 17 in Silchar's inaugural municipal corporation election. In his election affidavit, Laskar declared his educational qualification as a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree from Vinayaka Missions Sikkim University-an institution long mired in controversy.
Three individuals-Nazim Uddin Barbhuiya (alias Rubel Ahmed Barbhuiya), Ahmed Hussain Barbhuiya, and Salma Begum Laskar-filed a lawsuit challenging the veracity of his educational claims. The complaint alleges that Laskar fraudulently obtained forged documentation to claim a BA degree. Originally filed in the CJM court on September 15, the matter was transferred to the court of the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) on September 16. Given the urgency ahead of the election schedule, the petitioners filed a secondary petition on September 17 requesting an expedited hearing. Recognising the time-sensitive nature of the matter, the court issued the summons ordering the defendant to appear on September 23.
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