Cancellation of registration: SC starts hearing on Jamaat's appeal
The Appellate Division of Supreme Court today started hearing on the appeal filed by the Jamaat-e-Islami challenging a High Court verdict that scrapped its registration with the Election Commission as a political party.
After concluding the day's proceedings, a four-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed fixed December 10 for resuming hearing on the matter.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Lawyers Ehsan A Siddiq and Mohammad Shishir Manir appeared for Jamaat while lawyer Touhidul Islam represented the EC during the hearing today.
Earlier on October 22, the apex court restored the appeal for hearing following a petition filed by the Jamaat-e-Islami.
On that day, lawyer Shishir Manir told The Daily Star, "If the Appellate Division allows the appeal after holding a hearing on it, Jamaat will get back its registration and will participate in the elections."
On September 1, he submitted the restoration petition to the apex court on behalf of Jamaat Secretary General Miah Golam Parwar seeking necessary directives.
On November 19 last year, a five-member bench of the Appellate Division, headed by the then chief justice Obaidul Hassan, dismissed Jamaat's appeal for "default" as its counsels did not appear before the court on that day.
Maulana Syed Rezaul Haque Chandpuri, secretary general of the Bangladesh Tariqat Federation, along with 24 others, filed a writ petition with the HC on January 25, 2009, seeking its order declaring the Jamaat's registration illegal.
The petitioners said that the Jamaat is a religion-based political party, and it does not believe in the independence and sovereignty of Bangladesh.
Following the petition, the HC on August 1, 2013, declared Jamaat's registration with the EC illegal.
The EC scrapped the Jamaat's registration in October 2018, ahead of the 11th national election.
In the verdict, two judges of the three-member HC bench declared the registration illegal. However, the other judge disagreed with the decision made by his two colleagues.
Jamaat then filed the appeal with the apex court challenging the HC verdict.