The High Court on Tuesday (18 March) suspended the registration process for new political parties, staying a public notice issued by the Election Commission (EC) that invited applications from parties seeking to register ahead of the 13th National Parliament elections.
The order was passed by a High Court bench led by Justice Akram Hossain Chowdhury, effectively putting a hold on the EC's move to register new political parties.
Additionally, the court issued a rule asking why the EC’s public notice should not be declared illegal, confirmed Advocate Hasnat Kaium, the Supreme Court lawyer who filed the writ petition.
Advocate Kaium, who also serves as the chief coordinator of the State Reform Movement, submitted the petition to the relevant High Court branch on 16 March, challenging the EC’s call for new registrations.
The chief election commissioner, the secretary of the election commission, and the electoral reforms commission have been named as respondents in the petition.
On 10 March, the EC had issued a public notice inviting applications from new parties interested in contesting the upcoming national elections.
However, with the High Court's intervention, the process has now been suspended pending further legal proceedings.
