The government is going to deploy 657 judicial magistrates across all 300 constituencies for five days to maintain law and order and facilitate a free, fair and peaceful election scheduled for 12 February.
A Law and Justice Division gazette notification dated February 5 said the magistrates will be deployed to take cognizance under sub-section (1) of Section 190 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898, of election-related offences falling under Articles 73(2B), 74(2A), (3), (4), (5) and (6), 78, 79, 80, 81(1) and 82, as specified in Article 89A of the Representation of the People Order, 1972 (P.O. 155 of 1972), and to complete their trial through a summary procedure.
They will remain deployed from 10 to 14 February, a total of five days.
The gazette further said that 657 judges of the Bangladesh Judicial Service have been nominated and placed at the disposal of the Election Commission Secretariat for appointment as first-class magistrates.