United News of Bangladesh

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has released the full text of its verdict overturning a High Court ruling that had declared the registration of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami as a political party illegal. The four-member Appellate Division bench, led by the then Chief Justice, delivered the judgment on June 1 last year. The full copy of the verdict was published on Monday. The Election Commission granted Jamaat registration as a political party in November 2008. In 2009, Syed Rezaul Haque Chandpuri and 25 others filed a writ petition challenging the legality of the registration. After a final hearing, a three-member bench of the High Court declared Jamaat’s registration illegal by majority opinion on August 1, 2013. The court also granted a certificate for appeal against the verdict, which was later converted into an appeal. Jamaat also filed a regular leave-to-appeal petition that year. Following the High Court verdict, Jamaat sought a stay order, but the then Chamber Judge of the Appellate Division, Justice AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury, rejected the plea on August 5, 2013. Subsequently, on December 7, 2018, the Election Commission officially cancelled Jamaat’s registration through a gazette notification. On November 19, 2023, the Appellate Division dismissed Jamaat’s appeal and leave-to-appeal petitions against the High Court verdict after no lawyer appeared on behalf of the party. Jamaat filed separate petitions following the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, 2024, seeking restoration of the appeal and leave-to-appeal by condoning delays. After hearing the matter, the Appellate Division restored the petitions. The appeal and leave-to-appeal were later included in the Appellate Division’s hearing schedule, and hearings began on December 3, 2024. Jamaat also filed an application regarding the allocation of its electoral symbol. The court subsequently tagged the application with the appeal and leave-to-appeal for hearing. After concluding hearings, the Appellate Division delivered its verdict on June 1 last year. During the previous Awami League government, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued a notification on August 1, 2024, banning Jamaat and its student wing – Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir. Following the formation of an interim government on August 8, 2024 after the fall of the AL government, the ban on Jamaat and Shibir was withdrawn.

The Election Commission will determine its next steps regarding Jamaat-e-Islami’s registration and election symbol, as well as BNP leader Ishraque Hossain’s oath as a Dhaka South City Corporation councillor, after receiving the official copies of the relevant court verdicts. “So far, we have not received any observations from the Honorable Court regarding the Jamaat’s registration and symbol. After receiving the observations, legal steps will be taken accordingly in this regard,” said EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed while talking to reporters at Nirbachan Bhaban on Sunday. SC orders restoration of Jamaat's registration The Appellate Division on Sunday cancelled a High Court verdict that declared Jamaat-e-Islami’s registration as a political party illegal over a decade ago. In reply to a question over the electoral symbol of Jamaat, the EC Secretary said they will get what they are legally entitled to regarding the symbol. The EC does not have scope to make any remarks as an institution until it receives any document containing the court's observations, he said. Responding to another question over the Ishraque issue, the EC official said the EC has not received the copy of the court's directives in this regard yet as well. “I'm telling you again that I can't make any official statement until I receive any papers,” he said. As his attention was drawn that today is the last day of five-year tenure of Dhaka South City Corporation, he said adding, “We will refrain from commenting on this matter until we receive a paper from the court.”