EC issues gazette finally cancelling Jamaat’s registration as a political party

The Election Commission has cancelled the registration of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islamias a political party, which had opposed Bangladesh’s independence during the Liberation War of 1971.

The commission issued a gazette notification,signed by the commission’s Secretary HelalUddin Ahmed,to this regard on Sunday.

According to the gazette, Jamaat’s registration was cancelled in line with the Sub Clause 4 of Article 90H of the Representation of the People Order (RPO) 1972,following a 2013 High Court order that declared the party’s registration illegal and cancelled.

The cancellation of the registration means Jamaat would not be able to take part in the upcoming 11th general election, which the commission plans to hold in the last week of December.

Commission Secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed on Monday also told reporters: “We have issued the gazette announcing the cancellation [of Jamaat’s registration] after receiving the full verdict from the High Court.”

He also said that there was also no stay order from the Supreme Court’s Appellate Division in this regard.

“We have received the affidavit from the concerned advocate through an information slip of the Appellate Division. There is no stay order.”The Election Commission gazette notification, cancelling Jamaat-e-Islami’s registration as a political party, which was issued on Sunday | Collected

In the August 1,2013 verdict, the High Court had declared Jamaat’s registration with the Election Commission“illegal and void,” while observing that the registration was unlawfully done and the party’s charter contained elements contrary to the constitution and election rules of Bangladesh.

It also said that Jamaat had no moral right to be in Bangladesh’s political arena for the atrocities it committed during the Liberation War.

Jamaat, a long-time key ally of BNP, the same day had moved the Supreme Court, challenging the verdict.

The commission withheld the party’s registration after the High Court order, while waiting for the copy of the full verdict.

On November 4, 2008, Jamaat had registered with the Election Commission during the military-backed caretaker government’s term, after the commission made it mandatory for political parties to register for contesting in the polls, and had the ‘scale’allotted as its election symbol.

However, apart from losing the registration, many top leaders of Jamaat were tried and sentenced to either the death penalty or life imprisonment over the last five years by two special war crimes tribunals for crimes committed against humanity during the 1971 war.

Some of them were also executed following their convictions.