The High Court (HO yesterday directed the authorities concerned to accept nomination papers submitted by 18 aspirant candidates for upcoming upazila parishad polls to be held on January 22.

The returning officers (ROs) concerned recently cancelled their nomination papers on different grounds including being bank and bill defaulters.

Upon separate writ petitions filed by the candidates challenging the legality of the ROs' decisions, an HC vaca-tion bench of Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury passed the ad-interim orders and fixed January 4, the day for reopening of the court after vacation, for hearing the petitions.

The petitioners include Sultan Hossain Khan of Sad ar upazila in Jhalakathi, Nasir Ahmed Chowdhury of Matiranga upazila in Khagrachhari, Sirajul Islam Bachchu of Madan upazila and Mostafizur Rahman Rizvi of Barhatta upazil in Netrokona.