A writ petition seeking a directive to hold the next two parliamentary polls under a caretaker government (CG) was filed in the High Court on Thursday.
Advocate Yunus Ali Akond said his petition sought implementation of a Supreme Court verdict of May 10, 2011. In the verdict on the 13th amendment, the SC had declared the CG system unconstitutional, but observed that the next two parliamentary elections might be held under the CG. An HC bench, comprising Justices Mirza Hossain Haider and Mohammad Khurshid Alam Sarker, is likely to hear the petition on Sunday. The petition sought the HC’s intervention in seeking an explanation from the authorities as to why the 10th and 11th general elections should not be held under the CG as per the apex court’s verdict.
The secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office, Speaker, Law Secretary, Cabinet Secretary, Chief Election Commissioner, Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina and the Leader of the Opposition, Khaleda Zia, have been named respondents in the petition.
The petition also sought HC directive for a non-party CG headed by an eminent person, excluding the immediate retired Chief Justice, to supervise the 10th parliamentary poll.
Earlier this year, the same lawyer had sought HC intervention to have the two top leaders of the Awami League and the BNP engage in a dialogue to find a solution to the “political impasse”. The country’s political arena has been witnessing a volatile situation following abolition of the CG system.
Circumstances deteriorated as the BNP-led 18-party Opposition alliance declared that it would not participate in the 10th general election without restoration of the CG system. The combined Opposition also staged rallies, processions and hartal to press its demand. But the ruling Awami League has made it clear that it will not restore the CG provision, leading to a political standoff.
The two major political camps came to a confrontation when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina rejected BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia’s call to countrymen to resist the poll without CG and declared that the next general election would be held at any cost.
The BNP chief had also threatened to paralyse the country by enforcing non-stop hartal and road and railway blockades if the government did not restore the CG system.
All eyes are now on the October 25 deadline set by Khaleda for the government to restore the CG system.
-With The Independent input
