Lawsuit seeks suspension of all JaPa activities

An expelled leader of Jatiya Party (JaPa) has filed a lawsuit seeking suspension of all activities of the party, amid a temporary ban on its chairman, GM Quader.

Syed Abu Hossain, co-chairman of Jatiya Party, Sherifa Quader, wife of GM Quader, and 98 other leaders and activists were named as defendants in the lawsuit filed by former JaPa activist Ziaul Haque with the first joint district court on Wednesday.

Earlier, in a case filed by him, the same court had issued a temporary restraining order against GM Quader on 30 October, barring him from being involved in the process of decision making in the party.

The party sources said GM Quader has refrained from political activities since the court restrictions. The next date to pass an order in the case has been fixed at 30 November.

However, the JaPa continued its regular programmes and staged a demonstration in the capital on 22 November, demanding withdrawal of the 'false and conspiratorial' case against GM Quader.

The programme prompted Ziaul Haque to file the fresh lawsuit, seeking forced suspension of all political activities of the JaPa. He even sought punishment to the defendants for contempt of court.

Apart from the 100 JaPa men, more than a thousand unnamed leaders and activists of the party were made defendants in the lawsuit.

JaPa secretary general Mujibul Haque told Prothom Alo that their activists held a human chain programme demanding withdrawal of the 'false and conspiratorial' case. Such a protest has long been a common practice in the context of political cases and here is no issue like contempt of court. The chairman has refrained from the party activities as per the court order.

There are speculations in the party that a vested quarter is encouraging such cases to keep the JaPa completely under control.

Meanwhile, the proposal to make GM Quader the leader of opposition in parliament has been pending for nearly three months. Many JaPa men believe that there is a connection between the case and the delay in approving the proposal.

The parliamentary team of JaPa submitted the proposal to the speaker’s office on 1 September, but it is yet to be approved.