TDS Desk:

Attorney General Advocate Md Asaduzzaman has requested the High Court to dismiss a petition seeking the ban of the Awami League as a political party.

The petition, filed by the human rights organisation Sarada Society, was presented in court on Tuesday.

During the hearing before the High Court bench of Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Muhammad Mahbub Ul Islam, the Attorney General argued that the interim government has no intention of banning political parties and such a move would undermine the constitutional power that allows political parties to operate.

He said that while people have suffered under the previous authoritarian regime, there are legal and judicial mechanisms in place to address these grievances.

The Attorney General also noted that Awami League members adhere to the party’s ideology, and therefore, there is no basis for banning the party.

The Attorney General further argued that the petitioner lacked the jurisdiction to file such a petition, as the Awami League was not named as a respondent. He added that the constitution of Sarada Society does not authorise it to file such petitions.

Reflecting on past instances where political issues were brought before the court, the Attorney General remarked, “We have paid the price for dragging political matters into court, which has even affected the judiciary. It pains me as a lawyer when such cases arise, so let politics remain in the political arena. The petition should be dismissed outright, and costs should be imposed on the petitioner.”

The petitioner, Arifur Rahman Murad Bhuiyan, who is the executive director of Sarada Society, personally argued in favour of the petition. The court set 1 September for its decision after Bhuiyan requested additional time.

The petition, filed on 19 August, sought to ban the Awami League and revoke its registration, holding the party responsible for the indiscriminate killings of students and civilians. It also called for renaming institutions associated with the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, extending the term of the current interim government to at least three years for national reform, recovering Tk11 lakh crore allegedly laundered abroad, and transferring officials appointed during the last Awami League government.