The High Court yesterday asked the Election Commission to explain within four weeks why its restriction on the school and college teachers to contest in the Union Parisad (UP) polls should not be declared illegal.

Responding to a writ petition filed by four teachers from Jamalpur and Kurigram, the HC bench of Justice Mirza Hussain Haider and Justice Md Nuruzzaman also directed the EC to allow the petitioners to contest in the upcoming UP polls.

The petitioners are Mohammad Alamgir Kabir, Hamidul Haque, Mokhlesur Rahman, and Altaf Hossain.

They filed the writ petition on May 2 challenging the EC decision to restrict the teachers, who are from institutions under MPO (Monthly Payment Order), to run in the election.

In the petition, they said that over 100 teachers have already been elected in the recently held UP elections.

The EC on different dates in April informed their stance on restricting the teachers to contest in the election to the media.

Barrister Bodruddoza Badal appeared for the petitioners.