HC stays EC notice on new party registration, asks why it should not be declared illegal

The High Court Tuesday stayed an Election Commission notification for the registration of new political parties, as well as questioning the legality of the public notification.

The court issued a rule asking the EC and Election Reform Commission to explain why the public notification of the EC that urged new political parties to apply for registration by April 20 should not be declared illegal and unconstitutional.

The HC bench of Justice Md Akram Hossain Chowdhury and Justice KM Rasheduzzaman Raja came up with the rule following a writ petition filed by Hasnat Quaiyum, chief coordinator of political party Rastra Sangskar Andolon, challenging the legality of the EC’s notification.

Petitioner’s lawyer Abeda Gulrukh told that the EC’s notification will not be applicable for Rastra Sangskar Andolon following the HC stay order.

Rastra Sangskar Andolon will run activities as a political party, she said.

Advocate Abeda Gulrukh said the EC’s notification is contradictory to the definition of a political party mentioned in the constitution and the recommendation of the Election Reform Commission.

Under the Election Commission law, there must be committees of political parties in at least 22 districts and 100 upazilas for the registration of political parties.

But there are only 20 upazilas in the three districts in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and therefore, people in the CHT cannot form political parties even if they wish, nor can they form regional parties.

According to the current laws, under which the public notification was issued, the people in the CHT have been deprived of the opportunity to establish a political party, the lawyer added.

Deputy Attorney General Golam Rahman Bhuiyan represented the state during a hearing on the petition.