The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Tuesday adjourned the hearing for a week on the appeal filed by Jamaat-e-Islami challenging the legality of the High Court verdict that scrapped its registration with the Election Commission as a political party.
The four-member bench of the Appellate Division, headed by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, fixed 21 January for further hearing after concluding the second day's hearing on the appeal.
Jamaat's lawyer, Barrister Ehsan A Siddiq, with the assistance of Advocate Mohammad Shishir Manir, submitted his arguments before the apex court, praying to cancel the High Court order.
On 22 October last year, the apex court restored the appeal for a hearing following a petition filed by Jamaat-e-Islami.
On that day, Jamaat's lawyer, Mohammad Shishir Manir, told the media, "If the Appellate Division allows the appeal after holding a hearing on it, Jamaat will get back its registration and be able to participate in the elections."
On 1 September last year, he submitted the restoration petition to the apex court on behalf of Jamaat Secretary General Miah Golam Parwar, seeking necessary directives.
On 19 November 2023, a five-member bench of the Appellate Division, headed by Obaidul Hassan, the chief justice at the time, dismissed Jamaat's appeal for "default" as its counsel did not appear before the court on that day.
Maulana Syed Rezaul Haque Chandpuri, secretary general of the Bangladesh Tariqat Federation, along with 24 others, filed a writ petition with the HC on 25 January 2009, seeking an order declaring Jamaat's registration illegal.
Following the petition, the HC on 1 August 2013, declared Jamaat's registration with the EC illegal.
The EC scrapped Jamaat's registration in October 2018, ahead of the 11th national election.
In the verdict, two judges of the three-member HC bench declared the registration illegal. However, the other judge disagreed with the decision of his two colleagues.
Jamaat filed an appeal with the apex court at that time, challenging the HC verdict.
