State wants writ seeking ban on AL scrapped

The state on Tuesday argued for outrightly rejecting a writ petition that pleaded to ban the Bangladesh Awami League and cancel its registration as a political party for mass killing.

Taking part in the hearing over the plea at the High Court division bench of Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Muhammad Mahbub Ul Islam, Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman said the present interim government doesn't want any political party to be banned or its registration to be revoked.

"This government believes in the freedom of conducting organisation or political party. The injustice made by the people involved with the former authoritarian government, will be tried through the courts. It is not appropriate to ban any political party for that," he said at the hearing.

The chief state counsel said there are many honest and dedicated leaders and activists in Awami League, who genuinely believe in their ideology, so it is not the job of court to ban the party of their ideology.

The attorney general even pleaded for imposing cost on the petitioner, saying this plea is not maintainable as he does not even make Awami League, against which the plea was filed, party in the case.

The court at one stage adjourned the hearing till September 1, allowing a time plea of the petitioner.

Arifur Rahman Bhuiyan, executive director of rights group SARDA Society, filed the writ on August 19, also pleading to rename all the institutions across the country named after ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

Source: BSS