The Appellate Division on Sunday rejected a leave to appeal filed by BNP-nominated candidate Manjurul Ahsan Munshi, effectively barring him from contesting the 13th national parliamentary election from the Cumilla-4 constituency, lawyers said.

The order was passed by a bench led by the Chief Justice. Earlier, the High Court had declared Munshi’s candidature illegal, prompting him to seek relief from the apex court. With the dismissal of the appeal, he will not be able to participate in the election.

Meanwhile, the Appellate Division accepted for hearing a leave to appeal filed by Mobashsher Alam Bhuiyan, the BNP candidate for the Cumilla-10 constituency contesting with the party’s electoral symbol, the sheaf of paddy. The court also allowed him to take part in the election pending disposal of the appeal.

However, the apex court dismissed a separate appeal filed by Abdul Gafur Bhuiyan, another candidate from the same constituency, seeking restoration of his candidature. As a result, he too has been barred from contesting the upcoming parliamentary election.