Writ seeks ban on political activities of AL, 10 other parties
A writ has been filed seeking a court-imposed ban on the political activities of the recently ousted Awami League, alongside 10 other parties, including Jatiya Party (Ershad), Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSAD), Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh, Tariqat Federation, and the Communist Party of Bangladesh.
The other parties are Jatiya Party (Manju), Ganatantri Party, Liberal Democratic Party, Communist Party of Bangladesh (Marxist-Leninist) (Barua), and Socialist Party of Bangladesh.
The petitioners also filed a separate writ, challenging the legitimacy of 10th, 11th and 12th national elections. Cancellation of gazettes of those three elections has been sought there. Besides, court order has been sought to cancel and subsequently withdraw all the privileges of MPs of those elections.
The petition calls for immediate court orders to restrict these parties from engaging in any political activities.
The writ, filed on Monday (October 28) in the High Court, was submitted by Hasnat Abdullah, convener of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, Sarjis Alam, general secretary of the July Shaheed Smriti Foundation, and Hasibul Islam. Supreme Court lawyer Aminul Haque filed the writ on behalf of the petitioners.
The petition also requests directives to the Law Secretary, Home Secretary, Election Commission, and Inspector General of Police to enforce these restrictions.
Additionally, it challenges the validity of the 10th Jatiya Sangsad election (January 5, 2014), the 11th election (December 30, 2018), and the 12th election of 2024, with a High Court hearing anticipated for Tuesday.
The writ questions why a ban should not be imposed on these 11 parties, citing “indiscriminate killing of people, undermining democratic institutions, and unconstitutional seizure of state power.”
It further seeks a ruling on whether these parties should be barred from participating in future elections.
Hasnat Abdullah and Sarjis Alam detailed the writs on their verified Facebook pages: 1. The first writ questions the legality of the last three elections under Awami League and demands the return of any unlawfully obtained benefits. 2. The second writ calls for these parties to be restricted from political activities pending the case's judgment.
The writ does not request party dissolution or deregistration.
Previously, the interim government officially banned the Awami League’s affiliate, Bangladesh Chhatra League. This ban was formalized through a gazette notification from the Ministry of Home Affairs’ Political Wing-2 on Wednesday (October 23), approved by the President and signed by Senior Secretary Mohammad Abdul Momen.
On October 19, Mahfuj Alam, special assistant to the chief adviser, announced that the interim government would impose restrictions on 14 parties, including Awami League, that participated in the past three general elections. He stated these parties "cheated the people" and would face barriers in future elections.
Mahfuj emphasised that the government is implementing both legal and administrative measures to implement the barriers. The interim government has made it clear that those who were "friends of fascism" and took a stand against the people will face consequences, Mahfuj had said.
