Hasnat Abdullah, convenor of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, and Sarjees Alam, the organisation’s central coordinator, filed a petition with the High Court on Monday (28 October), seeking an interim directive to prohibit 11 political parties, including the Awami League, Jatiya Party (Ershad), and JSD, from conducting any political activities.
The petition also requests directives be issued to the Law Secretary, Home Secretary, Election Commission, and Inspector General of Police.
The additional parties listed in the petition include Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh, the Tariqat Federation, Communist Party of Bangladesh, LDP, Jatiya Party (Manju), Ganotantri Party, the Marxist-Leninist (Barua) Party, and the Socialist Party of Bangladesh.
Another petition has been submitted by the petitioners challenging the legitimacy of the 10th, 11th, and 12th national parliamentary elections. The High Court is scheduled to hear this petition on Tuesday.
The petition calls for a ruling on why these 11 parties, accused of extra-judicial killings, the destruction of democratic institutions, and unconstitutional seizure of state power, should not face a comprehensive ban on political activities.
Additionally, the petition requests a ruling on why these parties should not be barred from participating in all future elections.
Sarjees Alam and Hasnat Abdullah also shared information about the filing on their verified Facebook page.
Earlier, on 5 August, lawyer Arifur Rahman Murad Bhuiyan filed a separate petition seeking the dissolution of the Awami League, calling for the party’s ban following the government’s fall.
This earlier petition, which alleged indiscriminate killing of students and citizens during the anti-discrimination movement, was, however, dismissed by the High Court bench.
