report in Dhaka Tribune Desk, January 31, 2023 at 1:56 PM
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has given Jamaat-e-Islami two months to prepare the summary of the appeal against a verdict of the High Court that scrapped its registration as a political party.
The three member appellate bench headed by Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique passed the order on Tuesday.
Barrister Tanya Amir, who appeared in representing the writ petitioner, said: “We have taken many initiatives for the hearing of the case. The court gave them time many times. They are not preparing and wasting time. The final order was given on Tuesday. If the file (summary of appeal) is not ready for hearing within eight weeks, the appeal will be defaulted.”
Meanwhile, a lawyer of Jamaat-e-Islami, Matiur Rahman Akand, said that Jamaat-e-Islami will participate in the hearing of the case as per the order of the court.
“I hope Jamaat will get its registration back. We will prepare it in two months,” said the lawyer.
In the August 1, 2013 verdict, the High Court had declared Jamaat’s registration with the Election Commission “illegal and void,” while observing that the registration was unlawfully done and the party’s charter contained elements contrary to the constitution and election rules of Bangladesh.
Rezaul Haque Chandpuri, then secretary general of Bangladesh Tariqat Federation, along with 24 others had filed a writ petition with the High Court on January 25, 2009, seeking its order declaring Jamaat’s registration illegal.
On November 4, 2008, Jamaat had registered with the Election Commission during the military-backed caretaker government’s term, after the commission made it mandatory for political parties to register for contesting in the polls, and had the ‘scale’allotted as its election symbol.
The Election Commission scrapped the registration of Jamaat-e-Islami in October 2018, making it clear that the party will not be able to contest the upcoming national election.
In the verdict, two judges of the three-member High Court bench declared the registration illegal. However, the other judge disagreed with the decision of his two colleagues.
Jamaat then filed the appeal with the apex court challenging the High Court verdict.
https://www.dhakatribune.com/nation/2023/01/28/12-leaders-activists-of-jamaat-detained-in-feni
