Staff Correspondent, Dhaka
The High Court has suspended the validity of the Election Commission’s (EC) public notice regarding the registration of new political parties.
Additionally, it issued a rule asking why the notice should not be declared illegal.
The order was issued by a High Court bench led by Justice Akram Hossain Chowdhury, following the initial hearing of a writ petition, on Tuesday.
Advocate Abeda Gulrukh represented the petitioner in court.
On Monday, State Reform Movement’s Chief Coordinator and Supreme Court lawyer Hasnat Qayyum filed the writ petition in the relevant branch of the High Court.
The petition named the chief election commissioner, the Election Commission secretary, and the Electoral Reform Commission as respondents.
Following the court’s decision, lawyer Hasnat Qayyum said: "We have challenged multiple issues in the writ. One key concern is that the EC law requires political parties seeking registration to have committees in at least 100 upazilas and 22 districts. However, the three districts inhabited by the hill population have only 20 upazilas in total. As a result, the indigenous population is effectively barred from forming a political party, even a regional one. This deprives them of their constitutional right to political participation."
He further said that the writ petition seeks to invalidate the EC’s public notice on these grounds.
On March 10, the Election Commission issued a public notice inviting political parties to apply for registration by April 20.
