Former CEC Habibul Awal sent to jail after remand

A court in Dhaka sent to jail former chief election commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal in a case lodged for manipulating the national election.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate GM Farhad Ishtiaq passed the order on Sunday as police produced the former CEC before the court after end of his three-day remand and pleaded to keep him behind the bars till the end of probe.

The defence, however, argued for allowing him bail in the case. After hearing both sides, the court sent Kazi Habibul Awal to jail.

Detective branch (DB) of police on 25 Junearrested him from the city's Moghbazar area and showed him arrested in the case. The court of Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Mustafizur Rahman on 26 June placed him on a three-day remand.

BNP national executive committee member Md Salah Uddin Khan filed the case on 22 June against 24 people, including ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and three former chief election commissioners, for manipulating the national elections in 2014, 2018 and 2024.

Former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, four former inspectors general of police (IGP), several former election commissioners, and former chiefs of SB, NSI and DGFI have been accused in the case.

Police later in the day (22 June) took KM Nurul Huda into their custody from his residence at sector 5 of Uttara as a mob apprehended the former CEC around 7:00 pm. He was later shown arrested in the case.