Jamaat's Registration Cancellation: SC To Hear Appeal On November 12

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Monday (November 6) set November 12 for holding hearing on an appeal filed by Jamaat-e-Islami challenging a High Court verdict that scrapped its registration with the Election Commission.

The Appellate Division will also hold hearing on two separate petitions that day, including a contempt of court petition against Jamaat.

The other petition was filed seeking the apex court's injunction order restraining Jamaat from carrying out any political activities, including meetings, public rallies and processions using its name or banner.

Today, a four-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan fixed the date after petitioners' lawyer Tanya Amir appealed for hearing of the petitions.

Rezaul Haque Chandpuri, secretary general of Bangladesh Tariqat Federation, and two others submitted the petition on June 26 requesting the SC to issue an injunction on Jamaat barring it from asserting itself as a legitimate political party until disposal of Jamaat's leave to appeal petition.

Jamaat filed the petition against a High Court verdict that on August 1, 2013 scrapped its registration with the Election Commission.

On June 26, Chandpuri and two others filed the contempt of court petition with the SC against five Jamaat leaders, including its Ameer Shafiqur Rahman, for holding public meetings as a political party despite its appeal awaiting at the apex court for disposal.

In this petition, they also brought contempt of court charges against some senior government officials for allowing Jamaat to hold the programmes in Dhaka.

The other four Jamaat leaders against whom the contempt of court petition was filed are Jamaat's Secretary General Golam Parowar, Central Nayab-e-Ameer Abdullah Mohammad Taher, Metropolitan South Ameer Nurul Islam Bulbul and Nayeb-E-Ameer of Dhaka Helal Uddin.

Home ministry's Senior Secretary (Department of Public Safety) Md Mostafizur Rahman; Inspector General of Bangladesh Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, and Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Khandker Golam Faruq have been made respondents to the contempt of court petition.

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

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

Meanwhile, 47 supporters of Jamaat-e-Islami on July 31 filed an application with the SC seeking its permission to place arguments before it in favour of the party's long pending appeal against the HC verdict that scrapped its registration with the EC.

The 47 applicants include Jamaat's former lawmakers Syed Abdullah Md Taher, Hamidur Rahman Azad and Hafeja Asma Khatun.