The two-day election of the Supreme Court Bar Association (2026-27), one of the leading bodies of lawyers, is set to be held on 13 and 14 May.
Lawyers aligned with the Awami League are unable to take part in this year’s election, as their nomination papers have been cancelled.
Lawyers from both sides issued counter-statements on the matter yesterday, Wednesday.
However, no specific information was available on how many nomination papers were declared valid and how many were cancelled.
The deadline for withdrawal of candidature is 3 May. The final list of candidates will be published that day, said the association’s senior vice-president Md Humayun Kabir Manju.
Meanwhile, BNP’s legal affairs secretary, senior lawyer M Bodruddoza Badal, said at a briefing that ‘July fighters’ and several general lawyers had submitted written applications to the association saying the Awami League is banned, and those who previously contested or supported elections under its panel or banner should not be allowed to participate.
The Supreme Court Bar Association took the decision following these applications, he said, adding that it was adopted through a special general meeting.
An extraordinary general meeting (EGM) of general members was held on 26 April in the South Hall of the Supreme Court Bar Association. Three lawyers present at the meeting said a decision was taken there to bar Awami League-aligned lawyers from contesting the election.
Senior lawyer Md Mansurul Haque Chowdhury, known as an Awami League supporter, had submitted a nomination paper as an independent candidate for the post of president, which was cancelled.
In a written statement sent to the media Wednesday, he said all candidates had submitted their nomination papers individually at the association office. No one submitted nominations collectively on behalf of any party or organisation.
Mansurul Haque Chowdhury added that excluding more than 40 candidates from the election without proper scrutiny by the ad hoc committee, in violation of the association’s constitution and rules, was unconstitutional, undemocratic, and contrary to justice.
Lawyers said that according to the schedule, verification of nomination papers took place Tuesday at 5:30 pm. The names of candidates whose nominations were declared valid were announced at the Supreme Court Bar Association auditorium.
The names of Awami League-aligned lawyers hoping to run as independent candidates were not announced there. Awami League-aligned lawyers present there staged an immediate protest on Tuesday evening.
In protest against the cancellation of nominations, Awami League-aligned lawyers called a press briefing Wednesday at 1:15 pm in front of the High Court Division’s annex building. However, BNP-aligned lawyers gathered there chanting slogans and held a press briefing before that.
BNP’s legal affairs secretary M Bodruddoza Badal spoke at the briefing, along with Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Forum's central joint secretary general Gazi Towhidul Islam, former senior joint secretary of the association Kazi Zainal Abedin, among others.
Awami League-aligned lawyers later sent a written statement to the media.
Elections are held for 14 posts of the executive committee of the association, which has a one-year term. The posts include one president, two vice-presidents, one secretary, one treasurer, two joint secretaries, and seven members.