No Bar on EVM Use in Dhaka City Polls

The High Court cleared the way for Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) to be used in the Dhaka City Corporation polling scheduled for February 1. 

Justice JBM Hassan and Justice Khairul Alam on Sunday (Jan 26) withdrew a plea calling into question the validity of the EVMs.

On Jan 9, Supreme Court lawyer Yunus Ali Akond filed the writ challenging the legality of EVMs.

Secretaries to the president’s office, Cabinet and law ministry, and Anti-Corruption Commission chairman were made respondents to the petition.

According to the writ, Parliament has not cleared the EVM legislation and section-26 of the People's Order's Representation (RPO) is not compulsory.

In addition, its usage is in conflict with section-97 of the Constitution that says, an Ordinance can be made only if the Parliament stands dissolved or is not in session, it said.

The petition also claimed that during national polls in 2018, EVMs were used in six locations, but the elections were not appropriate.

Akond said that section-65 of the Constitution provisions casting votes through ballots and not machines.