HC scraps plea for blocking gazette notification

The High Court yesterday rejected a writ petition that sought its directive on the chairman of Bangladesh Bar Council not to issue a gazette notification on the results of the council's elections held on August 26.

The HC rejected the petition after hearing arguments from Deputy Attorney General Motaher Hossain Sazu and petitioner Eunus Ali Akond. Sazu opposed the petition saying that the Bar Council has its own tribunal that can settle any dispute regarding the election results.

He said a person has to first approach the Bar Council's tribunal regarding any dispute over the council as per the Bar Council rules, but the petitioner did not approach the tribunal. 

Moreover, the council authorities have already issued a gazette notification on September 3 on the results of its elections, thus the petition is ineffective, he added.

Eunus, a Supreme Court lawyer who contested the election but failed to win, submitted the petition on September 6 praying to the HC to issue a rule upon the Bar Council chairman to explain why he should not be directed to count the ballot papers of the polls. Attorney General Mahbubey Alam, also chairman of the council, declared the election result on September 3 on the basis of tabulations received from the presiding officer of the polling centres.

Pro-Awami League lawyers won a landslide in the election.