SC to hear plea seeking ban on Jamaat's political activities on Nov 12

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Monday set November 12 for holding hearing on a petition that sought ban on the political activities of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, a party that lost its registration with the Election Commission. 

A four-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Justice Obaidul Hassan passed the order after hearing the petition. 

The apex court will also hold a hearing on a contempt of court petition filed against Jamaat Amir (party chief), Secretary General and other central leaders of the organisation on that day. 

Rezaul Haque Chandpuri, Secretary General of Bangladesh Tariqat Federation, and two others filed the two petitions with the Appellate Division on June 26. 

Barrister Tania Amir, a lawyer of the petitioners, said, “We filed two petitions, one for seeking ban on political activities of Jamaat and another for seeking contempt charge against Jamaat leaders. The apex court said it will hold hearing on November 12 on the two petitions along with the main appeal petition filed against HC verdict that declared Jamaat registration illegal.”

On July 27 this year, forty-two citizens from different professions filed an application with the SC, seeking its permission to place arguments before it against Jamaat in connection with the pending contempt of court petition. 

The applicants include academician and historian Syed Anwar Hossain; writer and researcher Shariar Kabir; educationist Shyamali Nasreen Choudhury; actor and theatre producer Ramendu Majumder. 

Later on August 1, a total of 47 supporters of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami sought permission from the Supreme Court to place arguments before it in favour of the party's long pending appeal against a High Court verdict that scrapped its registration with the Election Commission. 

The 47 applicants include Jamaat's former lawmakers Dr Syed Abdullah Md Taher, Hamidur Rahman Azad and Hafeja Asma Khatun, Manarat University's Vice Chancellor M Umar Ali and Dhaka University's Prof Abdur Rab and three freedom fighters. 

Following a writ petition, the HC on August 1, 2013, declared illegal Jamaat's registration with the EC. The commission that same year suspended the registration of the political party. 

Rezaul Haque Chandpuri, Secretary General of Bangladesh Tariqat Federation, along with 24 others filed the writ petition with the HC on January 25, 2009, seeking its order declaring Jamaat's registration illegal.

The petitioners said Jamaat was a religion-based political party and it didn't believe in the independence and sovereignty of Bangladesh.

The EC scrapped the registration of Jamaat-e-Islami in October 2018, making it clear that the party will not be able to contest any election using its name or banner. 

In the verdict, two judges of the three-member HC bench declared the registration illegal. However, the other judge disagreed with the decision of his two colleagues. Jamaat then filed the appeal with the apex court challenging the HC verdict.

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