BSBRA election postponed after High Court orders reinstatement of presidential candidate
In a notice issued on 2 June, the BSBRA Election Board said the association's election, scheduled for 3 June, had been postponed in compliance with an order passed by the High Court on 1 June in connection with Writ Petition No. 6204 of 2026.
The election process of the Bangladesh Ship Breakers and Recyclers Association (BSBRA) has been suspended following a High Court order directing the reinstatement of the candidacy of Amzad Hossain Chowdhury for the post of president.
In a notice issued on 2 June, the BSBRA Election Board said the association's election, scheduled for 3 June, had been postponed in compliance with an order passed by the High Court on 1 June in connection with Writ Petition No. 6204 of 2026.
The board said the election process was being halted to allow completion of the necessary procedures required under the court's directive. A revised schedule and further instructions will be announced later, it added.
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The notice was signed by Election Board Chairman Aftab Uddin Chowdhury and members Rashed Pradhania and Ashraf Mahmud.
The court order comes nearly a month after the election appeal board, on 3 May, cancelled the candidature of Amzad Hossain Chowdhury, brother of elected Chattogram-4 lawmaker Aslam Chowdhury, citing allegations of loan default.
The election board did not disclose details of the writ petition or specify the grounds on which the High Court intervened.
The development has drawn attention within the country's ship recycling industry, as the BSBRA election is expected to determine the leadership of one of the sector's most influential trade bodies at a time of major regulatory transition.
Bangladesh's ship recycling industry has been adapting to new compliance requirements following the enforcement of the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, which has brought increased scrutiny on environmental and safety standards across recycling yards.
BSBRA is the apex organisation representing shipbreaking and ship recycling yard owners in Bangladesh. The industry, concentrated mainly in Sitakunda, supplies a significant portion of the raw materials used by the country's steel sector and provides employment to thousands of workers.
