National Lawyers Alliance demands abolition of Bar Council ad-hoc committee

The National Lawyers Alliance (NLA), a professional body of the National Citizens Party (NCP), today (24 November) demanded the abolition of the current ad-hoc committee of the Bangladesh Bar Council, alleging irresponsibility, inefficiency, and a lack of transparency.

The organisation also pressed for immediate elections to the Bar Council.

At the same time, the NLA called for the cancellation of ad-hoc committees of all bar associations across the country, including the Supreme Court Bar Association, and the Dhaka and Chattogram bars, reads a press release.

Central Member Secretary Ershadul Bari Khandaker placed the demands on behalf of the organisation at a press briefing held on the Supreme Court premises today.

According to the press briefing, the provision for ad-hoc committees does not exist in the Bar Council order or rules. The committee demonstrated irresponsibility, inefficiency, and a lack of transparency by passing 1,914 people based on review applications and then cancelling the results the next day, putting the lives of all these candidates at risk, the NLA said.

The organisation also stated that the ad-hoc committee has no moral authority to run an institution like the Bar Council, and that ensuring transparency in any examination or Bar Council election is impossible under such a committee.