Writ challenging legality of ban on AL activities rejected as 'not raised'

The High Court has dismissed a writ petition challenging the legality of a gazette notification banning all activities of the Awami League and its affiliated, associate and fraternal organisations, as the petition was not raised.

The High Court bench, comprising Justice JBM Hassan and Justice Aziz Ahmed Bhuiyan passed this order on Sunday.

The writ petition was listed as item No. 119 on the court’s cause list today.

Earlier on 12 May last year, the Public Security Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs issued a gazette notification banning all activities of the leaders and activists of the Awami League and all its wings, affiliated bodies and fraternal organizations until their trials are completed at the International Crimes Tribunal.

Challenging the legality of that notification, a man named Md. Al Amin filed the writ on 1 September. The petitioner's address was listed as Srinagar in Munshiganj in the writ.

Advocate Md. Nuro Nabi-Bulbul and advocate Mohammad Yunus stood for the petitioner in court. Deputy Attorney General Nur Muhammad Azmi represented the state.

Later, Nur Muhammad Azmi told Prothom Alo that the petitioner’s lawyers informed the court that they would not press the writ petition, as it had not been filed properly.

The court subsequently dismissed the petition as not pressed, he said.

Earlier, the gazette notification issued by the Public Security Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs on 12 May last year stated: "Until the trial proceedings against the leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Awami League and all its wings, affiliated bodies, and fraternal organizations are completed at the International Crimes Tribunal, all their activities—including any kind of publication, media presence, any form of campaign on online and social media, organizing processions, rallies, meetings, and conferences—are hereby declared banned."

The writ petition sought a rule asking why the 12 May 2025 gazette notification should not be declared to have been issued without lawful authority.

The petitioner also sought a stay on the operation of the notification until the rule was disposed of.