Staff Reporter :
A group of 101 members of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) on Tuesday urged the President to constitute the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) to probe into the allegations of irregularities and serious financial misconduct against the present Election Commission under the leadership of Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda.
They made the request collectively, submitting a letter to President Md Abdul Hamid to constitute the SJC under Article 96 of the Constitution. Earlier on December 14 in 2020, a group of 42 distinguished citizens gave the same call to the President. Later on January 17 in 2021, they again wrote to the President requesting for an investigation into the allegations.
The SJC is constituted with the chief justice and two other senior-most judges of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court in order to probe allegations against SC judges and other constitutional post holders and to recommend his or her removal for misconduct or incapacity.
In the letter, the Supreme Court lawyers said that Election Commission is a Constitutional institution. But the current Election Commission has failed to perform its duties. It has become an institution of their own benefit by abusing power and sharing money through ‘innovative tactics’. According to the Constitution of Bangladesh, all these serious immoral and financial misconduct are criminal offenses.
Signatories include AM Mahbub Uddin Khokan, Taimur Alam Khandaker, SM Aminul Islam Sanu, Shihab Uddin Khan, Kazi Md Arifur Rahman, Md Mujahidul Islam, Md Munir Hossain, Nusrat Jahan and Md Ruhul Quddus Patwary.
