Democratic Lawyers Association demands re-schedule announcement of election of Supreme Court Lawyers Association
Photo Collected
Bangladesh Democratic Lawyers Association has demanded to cancel the schedule of this year’s election of the Supreme Court Lawyers Association (Supreme Court Bar), one of the top organizations of lawyers, and announce a new schedule.
This demand was made in a protest rally in front of the Supreme Court Bar Association building on Wednesday afternoon.
বিজ্ঞাপন
The protest rally was organized by the Democratic Lawyers Association under the banner of ‘Protest rally against the irregularities in the elections of Bar Associations of the whole country including the Supreme Court Bar’.
According to the announced schedule, the two-day election of the Supreme Court Bar Association (2026-27) is scheduled to be held on May 13 and 14. The gathering demanded immediate cancellation of this schedule and announcement of re-schedule and announcement of the date of the postponed Bangladesh Bar Council elections.
বিজ্ঞাপন
Senior advocate S M A Sabur presided over the meeting. The speech was given by the leader of Democratic Lawyers Association. Jahidul Bari, AKM Jaglul Haider Afrik, Hasan Tariq Chowdhury and many others.
Jahidul Bari complained, “Supreme Court Lawyers’ Association and lawyers’ associations of the whole country are breaking the tradition of democratic elections and there are plans to conduct one-sided elections with a special party and their loyalists.” The mob created during the previous government is still active. They are active in the election of various Bar Associations. Undemocratically, one-sided elections are being held without allowing others to be elected undemocratically. I protest it.
Joglul Haider Afrik said that the nomination papers of most of the candidates have been canceled in this election of the association and said, “Why has it been cancelled?” Do they not have the right to know? Where there was disqualification according to the constitution—no such thing has been stated.… Nowhere in the Dhaka, Chandpur, Chittagong and Barisal Bar Associations, lawyers of opposing views were not allowed to participate in the elections.’
Calling upon the government to curb the zealous workers, Jaglul Haider said, congratulations to the government that came to power through the election. But restrain your zealous workers a little. The Supreme Court takes care to ensure that the elections are systematic and democratic in every Bar Association including the Bar Association. Undemocratic elections, disqualification of most candidates, disenfranchisement of opposition parties—stop them.
Hasan Tariq Chowdhury said, “No party’s name is mentioned in the Samiti election. The association is an independent non-partisan association. Violates the tradition of non-partisan association and kills democracy…I’m going to elect a dummy. We protest it.
Elections are held for 14 posts in the Executive Committee of the Supreme Court Bar Association for a period of one year. The posts are one president, two vice presidents, one editor, one treasurer, two associate editors and seven members. Against these posts, 40 candidates have been elected in this election.
Before this, a special general meeting (EGM) of the general members of the association was held on April 26. It was decided in the meeting that those who were supporters of Awami League, Awami League-backed Combined Lawyers Coordination Parishad or Bangabandhu Awami Lawyers Parishad and served in any position of the party, cannot contest in the association elections.
However, it was decided that a lawyer can participate in the election independently if he wants to, three lawyers said among the people present at the meeting. According to the schedule, last April 28 at 5:30 was the day of scrutiny of nomination papers. On that day, the names of the candidates whose nomination papers were valid were announced.
However, legal sources have claimed that the nomination papers of more than 40 candidates, including pro-Awami League lawyers, have been cancelled.
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