A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the validity of Article 70 of the Constitution and seeking suspension of the presidential election schedule. Supreme Court lawyer Advocate Yunus Ali Akand filed the petition on Thursday morning. A hearing on the petition may take place next Sunday.

Article 70 states that a member of parliament elected as a nominee of a political party will lose their seat if they resign from that party or vote against it in parliament. The provision also says that such a member will not be disqualified from becoming an MP in any subsequent election for that reason. The petition challenges the legality of this constitutional article.

The deadline for submitting nomination papers for the country’s 23rd presidential election is 4pm on Thursday. Under the Election Commission schedule, papers may be filed from 10am to 4pm. Scrutiny is set for August 16, withdrawal of candidacy is due by August 18, and voting is scheduled from 2pm to 5pm on August 20 in the Parliament Building’s session chamber.