'Misunderstanding': Petitioners withdraw writ seeking suspension of 11 parties' activities

Three leaders of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement have withdrawn their petition that sought an interim directive from the High Court to prohibit 11 political parties, including the Awami League, from all political activities. 

The withdrawal of this writ, which drew widespread debates and discussions, was due to a "misunderstanding" over the inclusion of the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) and the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in the list of targeted parties, according to the petitioners and their lawyer.

In addition, a separate petition seeking to annul the last three national elections held under the Awami League was also retracted. This one aimed to question the legality of the benefits received by those elected in these polls.

Today, petitioners' lawyer Ahsanul Karim informed the High Court bench of Justice Fatema Najib and Justice Sikder Mahmudur Razi that the two petitions would not be pursued. The court subsequently dismissed them on the grounds that they had not been formally raised.

The petitions were filed by student movement coordinators Hasnat Abdullah, Sarjis Alam, and Hasibul Islam on Monday. 

Other political parties on the list include Jatiya Party (Ershad), Jatiya Party (Manju), Ganatantri Party, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh, Bangladesh Tarikat Federation, Communist Party of Bangladesh (Marxist-Leninist) (Barua), and Socialist Party of Bangladesh.

'Petitioners were surprised' 

Today, a meeting took place at Mukti Bhaban, the office of the CPB in Purana Paltan. Attendees included representatives from the National Citizen Committee, the Left Democratic Alliance, and from the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement.

After the meeting, Nasiruddin Patwari, convener of the National Citizen Committee, said there was a "misunderstanding" regarding the two petitions. He added that the situation had embarrassed them, and they plan to reorganise and refile the petitions through the proper process.

"Even the individuals who filed the petitions—Sarjis, Hasnat, and Hasibul—were surprised at how the names of these two parties were included. We have asked the lawyer for an explanation about this," he told reporters.

He added that the main issue of the writ was whether the three elections would be declared invalid. However, he noted, "Many other issues have come up, and the petitioners lacked focus. We have advised them to withdraw the writ."

Ruhin Hossain Prince, general secretary of CPB, spoke to reporters about the recent developments. 

He said, "Our party has been dedicated to principled politics since the British era. We have played a significant role in 2024. I do not see this incident as the end; rather, it is an attack on the left movement. I want to caution those who aim to abolish fascism and uphold principled politics about this threat."

In a related development, Sarjis Alam and Hasnat Abdullah were requested to apologise to Dr Col (Retd) Oli Ahmed Bir Bikram, according to a press release from Salahuddin Razzaq, joint secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party.

What the lawyer says 

Ahsanul Karim briefed journalists about the matter on the Supreme Court premises this afternoon.

He explained, "If a client wants to withdraw a case, they instruct us to do so, and we follow their instructions. The client doesn't share their reasons, so I can't say why the case is not being pursued."

However, he said, it is understandable that the petitioners may have made this decision for the "overall democratic transition and the well-being of the country." 

He added, "When someone doesn't want to proceed with a case, the court removes it from the agenda."

Regarding the writ petition against 11 parties, Ahsanul Karim said, "Some party names were mistakenly included, and others were omitted. This needed to be corrected. If the case had continued, those names would have been dropped."

The petition named the Secretary of Law, Secretary of Home Affairs, Election Commission, and Inspector General of Police as respondents.

The writ requested a ruling to ban the political activities of these parties due to allegations of arbitrary killings, destruction of democratic institutions, and unconstitutional actions. It seeks to prohibit them from participating in future elections and requests an interim order to halt their political activities during the case.

In the other writ, there is a request to declare the 10th, 11th, and 12th national parliamentary elections legally unauthorised and to cancel the gazettes for elections held in 2014, 2018, and 2024. 

This writ also names various officials and the 11 parties as respondents and seeks rulings on potential treason charges for elected Members of Parliament and the cancellation of benefits they received, such as land allocations and tax exemptions for imported vehicles.