Bangladesh: Jamaat-e-Islami struggles to regain political party status

Dhaka, May 13 (IANS) As the radical Islamist party of Bangladesh, Jamaat-e-Islami, struggles to regain its political party status, the Supreme Court on Tuesday stated that it is the first instance in the country's history where a party's registration was cancelled through a High Court verdict.

The remarks were made by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed during the hearing of Jamaat-e-Islami's petition by the full appellate division bench consisting of seven members.

The Islamist party appealed seeking restoration of its registration as a political party and its electoral symbol, scale, local media reported.

Tawhidul Islam, who represented the Election Commission (EC) in the hearing, said that EC has stepped back ever since the High Court intervened in the matter of Jamaat's registration, and is now waiting for the verdict from the Appellate Division regarding Jamaat's registration.

He further informed the court that following the administrative decision of the Supreme Court, the EC removed Jamaat's symbol, the scales, and if it now wants a new symbol, it can apply afresh.

Meanwhile, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court adjourned the hearing till May 14, Bangladeshi leading daily, The Dhaka Tribune, reported.

In August 2013, the High Court declared Jamaat's registration as a political party illegal and void by disposing of a writ petition. Subsequently, in December 2018, the EC formally cancelled the party's registration through a gazette notification.

Jamaat later appealed against the High Court's verdict, but in November 2023, the Appellate Division, led by then Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan, dismissed Jamaat's appeal for default as the party's principal lawyer was not present during the appeal hearing.

As a result, the High Court's verdict declaring Jamaat's registration as an illegal political party remained in effect.

After the fall of the Awami League Government, headed by Sheikh Hasina in a violent mass uprising last year, Jamaat-e-Islami submitted a petition to revive the appeal to regain its cancelled registration as a political party.

In October, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court accepted Jamaat-e-Islami's request seeking to regain its registration as a political party.

From then on, Jamaat used the legal means to seek the restoration of the party registration and its electoral symbol, local media reported.

Reports further suggest that on August 1 last year, the previous Awami League-led government banned Jamaat, its student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir, and all of its associated organisations as political entities under the Anti-Terrorism Act-2009.

However, the interim government under Muhammad Yunus, after coming to power, lifted the ban on Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing, issuing a gazette notification.

These radical forces earlier worked hand in glove with the student leaders and Yunus to overthrow the democratically elected government of the Awami League.

--IANS

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