Dhaka: Sylhet City Corporation (SCC) mayor Ariful Haque Chowdhury joined his office again on Thursday afternoon after the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court upheld a High Court (HC) order that halted the government’s order suspending him.

SCC councillors and officials received the mayor with bouquets when he reached the Nagar Bhaban around 3pm.

“I’ve got justice. I returned to my chair following the order of the apex court,” Ariful said while talking to reporters.

Earlier in the day, Chamber Judge Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain passed the order, said Ariful’s lawyer Abdul Haque Kwafi.

On Monday, the High Court stayed the government’s order that suspended Ariful following his writ petition.

On Sunday, the government suspended Ariful three hours after he returned to his office with court clearance staying a previous suspension order as he was accused in a criminal case.

Ariful was included in the charge-sheet made in a case filed for killing former Finance Minister Shah AMS Kibria in a grenade attack in Habiganj district on January 27, 2005.

On December 28, 2014, a Sylhet court sent Ariful to jail as he surrendered before it seeking bail.

Later, Local Government Division suspended him on January 7, 2015 as he was charge-sheeted in the case.

However, Ariful was shown arrested in another case filed in connection with a bomb attack on a rally of former Awami League lawmaker Suranjit Sengupta on June 21, 2004.